Aborym

 

While Italy's black metal scene during the years of the first wave was filled with some classic bands like Necrodeath and Bulldozer, and early second wave bands like Opera IX are important, very few bands really blew up to a level of worldwide fame. ABORYM, originally from Apulia, might be an exception.

Formed in 1992 by Malfeitor Fabban, the band's name comes from an ancient grimoire. The band struggled in their first few years. According to Fabban, there weren't a lot of places to rehearse in the city where he lived. Once Fabban recruited other band members and found some rehearsal space, the band got to work. In these early years, the band was primarily an old-school black/thrash that performed covers of other extreme bands (they specifically mention Rotting Christ and Sepultura).

"Black Deicide" comes from one of their early demos

This incarnation of the band put out two demos in the early nineties. In 1993, they released a rehearsal (Live in Studio), with a proper demo (Worshipping Damned Souls) to follow the next year. Their sound was not particularly noteworthy for early second wave black metal. See "Black Deicide", above.

Fabban soon branched out into other musical projects, putting Aborym on hold. He also moved to Rome in the hopes of being able to recruit musicians more in line with his vision. When Fabban started the band up again in 1997, he had recruited new musicians (including future black metal superstar Set Teitan). The band quickly got to work and put out the demo Antichristian Nuclear Sabbath.

From their debut studio album, this is "Wehrmacht Kali Ma"

Shortly after their third demo, Aborym entered the studio and recorded their first proper full-length album. The result was 1999's Kali Yuga Bizarre. By this point in their evolution, the band had begun to incorporate synths into their black metal. On this first album, the result was a black metal that veered between the symphonic and the industrial. Fabban cited industrial and electronic music as an influence, which was now beginning to seep into Aborym's style. Take note of how synths are used in "Wehrmacht Kali Ma," above.

The follow-up album--2001's Fire Walk With Us--ventured even more into industrial territory. By this point, industrial black metal was a well-established genre (genre stalwarts like Mysticum will be explored at a later date) and experimental incorporation of synths was something Norwegian bands like Thorns and Arcturus had made palatable to the black metal-loving masses.

The next few albums after Fire continued in this vein: the harsh electronics of industrial mixed with the rhythms and structure of black metal. And despite this experimental approach to black metal, there was never any question about Aborym's bonafides. Their roster--at various points--included such luminaries as Attila (of Mayhem and Tormentor fame), Faust (of Emperor fame), and Occultus (of Perdition Hearse and Mayhem fame).

"Love the Death as the Life" is off of Fire Walk With Us

This aggressive track is the title track from 2003's With No Human Intervention

This is my favorite track from 2006's Generator

These days, Aborym's sound isn't exactly industrial black metal. Like other bands that have evolved (in addition to the previously mentioned ones, think Samael and Dødhemsgard), Aborym is more electronic extreme metal. That said, their peak in the early 2000s is must-listen for fans of industrial black metal.

Select Discography:

Live in Studio (rehearsal demo) (1993)

Worshipping Damned Souls (demo) (1994)

Antichristian Nuclear Sabbath (demo) (1997)

Kali Yuga Bizarre (full-length) (1999)

Fire Walk With Us (full-length) (2001)

With No Human Intervention (full-length) (2003)

Generator (full-length) (2006)

Next time: THUS DEFILED