Ah, Abomination. Just saying the name conjures images of dingy Chicago basements, the clatter of beer bottles, and the unrelenting fury of a nascent death/thrash metal band tearing at the very fabric of the late '80s underground scene. This isn't just music; it's a visceral experience, a raw explosion of sound and fury, and nowhere is this more evident than in the "ABOMINATION - Demos" 12" Vinyl LP Album, a collection that immortalizes their "Red Demo" from 1988 and the "Black Demo" from 1989.
Historical Context: The Late '80s Metal Scene
The late '80s was a tumultuous period for metal. Thrash was pushing boundaries with bands like Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth leading the charge. But underneath this mainstream success was a darker, more brutal undercurrent. Death metal was beginning to bubble to the surface, a genre that took the aggression of thrash and injected it with a lethal dose of speed, technicality, and guttural vocals. Chicago, known for its deep-dish pizzas and blistering winters, was also a fertile ground for this new wave of extremity.
Enter Abomination, formed in 1987 by the indefatigable Paul Speckmann, a figure already notorious in the metal underground for his work with Master. Speckmann was not just a musician; he was a prophet of rage, channeling the discontent and angst of the era into his music. Abomination was his new vessel, and with it, he aimed to conquer.
Musical Exploration: Defying Convention
The "Red Demo" and "Black Demo" are not polished pieces of art. They are raw, unfiltered blasts of energy, capturing a band in its embryonic stage, full of hunger and fury. The "Red Demo" from 1988 is a prime example of this. Tracks like "Over the Edge" and "Reformation" are relentless assaults, combining breakneck riffs, thunderous bass lines, and Speckmann's signature growl. The production is rough, but this only adds to its charm. It’s like finding a piece of gold in a scrapyard; it’s not pretty, but damn if it isn’t valuable.
By the time the "Black Demo" rolled around in 1989, Abomination had refined their sound ever so slightly. There's a bit more structure, a hint of maturity creeping into the chaos. "Possession" and "Suicidal Dreams" stand out as particularly potent tracks, showcasing a band that was beginning to understand its strengths. The aggression is still there, but there’s a newfound complexity in the songwriting, a sign of the evolution that was to come.
The Death/Thrash Metal Fusion
Abomination’s sound is a ferocious blend of death and thrash metal. They take the relentless speed and precision of thrash and meld it with the brutal intensity of death metal. It’s a sound that’s both chaotic and controlled, a tightrope walk over a pit of spikes. This fusion is what sets Abomination apart from their peers. They weren’t afraid to experiment, to push the boundaries of what metal could be. The duality of thrash’s precision and death metal’s savagery is evident in every note, every scream.
Production Team and Recording Studio: Capturing the Chaos
The demos were recorded in local studios, capturing the essence of the band’s live sound. The "Red Demo" was produced with a bare-bones approach, raw and unfiltered. The "Black Demo" saw a bit more refinement but retained that unpolished edge. The production team, a group of local engineers and friends of the band, understood that Abomination’s power lay in their raw energy. They didn’t try to smooth out the rough edges; they highlighted them, turning flaws into features.
