Band: ABACABB
Album: Survivalist
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Sumerian

Track Listing:
1. Introduction
2. Infection
3. Addiction
4. Regression
5. Survivalist
6. Destruction
7. Articulation
8. Devastation
9. Rejection
10. Isolation

Sumerian Records has been slowly becoming the home for the more brutal side of the metal and hardcore scene. Their newest delivery is Survivalist, the crushing new album from ABACABB [pronounced A-B-A-C-A-B-B]. For those of you wondering what their name originates from, it’s the blood code in the class Mortal Kombat games. With that in mind, one should now see just how serious these guys appear to take themselves. However, Survivalist is definitely not a silly record. Believe me, they make that clear on each and every track.

From a very somber beginning, the album has a feeling of doom and gloom. A little audio clip that was most likely stolen from some “hip” film most people will never see or a forgotten big budget picture gives us a plateau to start the album. It seems cramming clips into your record is the new popular feature, but rest assured it doesn’t happen very often on the rest of the disc. Things really kick off on, “Infection,” which, like most of the album, comes wailing through your speakers like a train off the rails. Everything is fast and heavy and it continues throughout the majority of the disc. The relation of a lot of this material to the new Acacia Strain release is enough to make Emmure not feel like their robbing anyone with their material. The similarities of this to, Continent is ridiculous, but pulse enraging metal does still hold a place in my heart and it’s done quite well here.

Outside of the aforementioned generic/rip off sound of the album, there is an overall lack of creativity in the structure of every track. It’s just a battle to see which track can have more chugs and snare his than the last. On top of this, add lyrics that generally dance between killing, taking over, fighting, battling, being mad, upset, angry [you get the idea] and you have 90% of the record already implanted in your brain. Add in a ridiculously unnecessary ten minute closer and you have one record you might not spin again, but only because its been done better and its been done better rather recently.

So, even though they have an enticing name, solid album art, and decent sound overall, ABACABB’s Survivalist is a album worth passing on. If you’ve never heard the last Acacia Strain record it might be for you, but only if you have no means on hearing The Acacia Strain first. I had high hopes going in, but you can’t win ’em all.

*Written By: James Shotwell* 
Grade: 3/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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