MASONIC ABYSS - Music For The Apocalypse CD

Masonic Abyss is the brainchild of a guy who works under the name of Serotonin. He's been the driving force behind Dundee's late-lamented metal masters that were Self Made Man and the short-lived Industrial band Serotonin. Now he's back with a new project, initially a studio-based one, but soon to be a live band. But what he's produced here is a blend of industrial and metal that not only sounds as though it was recorded in one of the finest studios around, but blasts the shit out of many a more famous band in the Industrial Metal arena.
The album opens with the sound of sequenced rhythms and angry voice samples as “Reality Bomb” introduces you to the atmosphere before this vast synth calls you to arms and a cataclysm of synths, guitars, programmed rhythms and percussives just explode into life, over which the huge sounding vocals of Serotonin provide a vocal whirlwind of epic proportions, the lyrics spellbinding, as “sYMBOLS aND sIGNS” reaps its harvest, the overtly political and humanity viewpoint as passionately delivered as the storm of sound that drives headlong into your very being, right from the start, alerting you to the fact that this is gonna be one rollercoaster of an industrial rock album.
Up next is “Beware of The God”, this time choosing religion as its target and getting it spot on, the urgent, angry, anguished, phased vocals surging forward on massive choppy electronic and programmed rhythms, vast waves of synths, a veritable buzzsaw symphony of guitars and pounding bass undercurrents, the whole thing meshing in this giant cauldron of searing electro-metal that takes your breath away, its mix of metal, muscle, magic and might a truly awesome thing to behold. “Knife To Know You” starts with shuddering rhythms, heavy riffing guitars, dramatic drums and massive bass as the synths are added, the hard-hitting vocals come tearing in and another monster of a song is unleashed in classic industrial metal vein, complete with a chorus, as the whole thing accelerates into one nuclear bomb of a track, the vocals just pouring out of the speakers like blood from a gaping wound, and every bit as life-threatening. The whole thing tears along on a wave of guitars and those massive juddering beats and the effect drains the blood from your veins and leaves you breathless. “Leaders of The Sect” begins with out of focus female vocal samples as muscular guitars take the reigns, riffing wildly, only for this tidal wave of synths, drums, bass, and progamms enters, the cue for an even more anguished vocal from Serotonin to come crashing out of the dark to deliver this aggressive, observational lyric amid more juddering beats and this huge epic sea of synthesized metal bliss. The track twists and turns for greater variation and the overall feel is of something truly epic as the assorted layers and textures, riffs and rhythm, vocals and samples, all combine to produce a track that is complex, intense and heavy as a dwarf star, every bit as bright. “Bring Back The Heart” is a ballad – an industrial ballad, that is – so we get a solid croon of a vocal, still with its emotions taut and fiery, over an undulating rhythmic undercurrent from synths and electronic percussives, sounding almost akin to an industrial Ozzy type of dynamic density, occasionally exploding into a chorus before dropping back to its deceptive serenity. It works and it's superb.
“Emotional Control Unit” returns to the industrial might as a river of synths and beefy beats provides the backdrop for squeals of electronics and space synths before this buzz-saw of a riff comes and goes and the tension is positively felt as the whole thing lumbers into life like some monster awakening from a thousand year sleep, keen to make its sizeable presence felt on an unsuspecting world – an instrumental that's as solid as it is slowly unfolding, positively menacing from start to finish. Then the whole thing erupts as “Blueprint For Enslavement” roars into life as another blistering slice of emotional intensity rises like a rocketship where the fuel of synths, drums, electronic percussives and scything guitars propels this amazing vocal that's a mix of menace, anger, anguish and fierce intensity, another stunning set of lyrics an integral part of another solid gold stunner of a song. “Oil For One And One For Oil” returns to choppy but no less heavy waters as this lurching mass of huge sounding commercially polished, industrial strength electronic metal burns with the strength of a thousand suns, the vocals hollering out an outstanding set of lyrics hearkening back to Self Made Man's lyrical magic, with a mix of politics and humanity really impinging on your consciousness, as aware as it is mesmerising, as addictive as it is massive and an example of electronic metal that slices holes in solid steel at a hundred paces. “Revenge And Red Mist”, even after everything that's gone so far, is simply amazing. The perfect mix of industrial, metal and commercial in one almighty blast of a song that will not only have you leaping about the room with unstoppable abandon, but a song that will stick in your head for hours after, it's gigantic rhythmic drive, its swirling synths, its dynamite guitar riffs and one burning sun of a vocal performance, all combining to produce one of the finest songs of its genre that you'll hear from any band in this musical arena, let alone an unsigned, unknown one. OK – enough detail – there are four more tracks that finish what is a lengthy album, and every one is as hot, heavy, addictive and as brilliant as what you've heard so far.
“The Cremation Of Care” opens up like a metal symphony as this canyon-sized mix of guitars, synths and programmed drums create a huge industrial expanse on which the vocal imprint is stamped with authority, the menace and sneer balanced by the intensity and the fact that the song really flows as the verses reveal some stunning thought-provoking lyrics and a mile-wide hook, as the whole thing rolls forward like some unstoppable juggernaut, and the explosive effect is mind-bending. “Panic Stations” opens with a throb of electronics and a drill-like rhythm as clattering percussives enter in the background, the drill becomes repeated and accelerated while the throb becomes a low roar and this instrumental positively batters into your skull. On top of that this shuddering layer of synths and clattering drums gradually add to the effect as the whole thing builds up a head of steam and becomes this horror express driven by a grinning skeleton as the thing hammers down on your very soul, the synths bursting like solar flares as the rhythm crashes down and the sheer density is akin to being in the middle of a lightning storm and loving every second. “Insanity Beckons”, wisely, opens with restrained string synth as this menacing low-down vocal and synth sheets usher in a tinkling keyboard rhythm and gentle percussion before the whole thing erupts in a slower furnace heat as what amounts to an industrial metal ballad comes to life and proves that the song is still paramount as they mix ferocity and finesse to effective degree. The song is sung well, the feel of madness coming across without drowning in it, the desire to illustrate rather than engulf, the prime motive of a seriously well written, once again thought-provoking, well arranged and delivered song. There's a decided air of horror movies to it all, as you see the dark, see the dark side and become inexorably drawn to it. Finally, the album ends with “Nuclear Sundown” which, as the title suggests, is a final epic of immense weight and intensity as this veritable industrial metal symphony is unleashed with all the elements that has made this such a stunning album, well in force. This time the song is more mid-paced, and, like its predecessor, superbly sung and delivered, with a massive sea of guitars, synths, drums, programms and more guitars, plus massed choirs and the menace of the vocal, all combining to end the album with the suggested apocalypse, this time in a musical form in which you spend your final minutes of life.
Overall, then, as a shining example of unique, individual, memorable, superbly played and produced, stunningly written and sung, modern day massive sounding industrial metal magic, they simply don't come any better than this.

CD Reviews Main Page
Home Page
Dundee Bands Info
Email Andy G