Band:	Aborted
Album:	Vault Of Horrors
Style:	Brutal death metal
Release date:	March 2024

01. Dreadbringer [feat. Ben Duerr]
02. Condemned To Rot [feat. Francesco Paoli]
03. Brotherhood Of Sleep [feat. Johnny Ciardullo]
04. Death Cult [feat. Alex Erian]
05. Hellbound [feat. Matt McGachy]
06. Insect Politics [feat. Jason Evans]
07. The Golgothan [feat. Hal Microutsicos]
08. The Shape Of Hate [feat. Oliver Rae Aleron]
09. Naturom Demonto [feat. David Simonich]
10. Malevolent Haze [feat. Ricky Hoover]

I get by with a little help from my friends.

The Belgian brutality rolls onwards once more with the release of Vault Of Horrors, the latest skull-shattering offering from veterans of the sound, Aborted. Having long staked their claim to be among the greatest bands to destroy eardrums, Aborted continue on with their victory lap with successive albums of unrelenting force and unmatched quality. Vault Of Horrors sees the band's victory lap turn into a marathon, with the ever-continuing streak of great releases this far into their career.

How to keep the wounds fresh after twelve albums and twenty-nine years is a somewhat new conundrum for the subgenre that Aborted have staked as their own domain; there's only so many ways you can bludgeon a horse. Aborted take the hip-hop route of packing out the album with guest features galore, turning Vault Of Horrors into a veritable who's who (and, in some cases, who?) of names from the heavier side of the metal tracks. There is a risk that cramming in so many guest appearances could be a way to compensate for weaker material, or act as the lone selling point; however, Aborted ensure the music is front and centre, with said appearances serving to enhance the already exciting listening experience.

"Hellbound" is the typical Aborted track; from its trademark guitarwork to De Caluwè's guttural greatness, it succinctly ties the band's sound up in one neat little package. The following "Insect Politics" acts as a powerful palette cleanser that just goes foot the floor on the power, ensuring Bedene earns his payslip on the drums. "Naturom Demonto" sees the departed Stefano Franceschini (leaving the band between the recording and release of the album) ensure his last album with the band is one of his strongest yet. Indeed, any lingering doubts over the quality of the songwriting are blasted out of your brains faster than you can say "BREEEEEE". While the production on the album lacks much in the way of charm and personality, unlike ManiaCult, it feels far more fitting and better suited to present tracks like "Condemned To Rot".

Vault Of Horrors has the somewhat unique issue that it ends us pulling you in two opposite directions; namely, it's a positive that the guest features doesn't see the band fundamentally change their sound to accommodate said guests, but on the other hand, the band don't use the opportunity to experiment or push their boundaries slightly. It's an odd dilemma to have, one that doesn't negate the quality of the music on show, but just poses the question of whether they could have done more with the opportunities at hand.

Aborted and friends continue their marathon run into the sunset with yet another highly enjoyable album of high-powered brutality. Edging closer to the thirty-year mark, the band show no signs of losing momentum or quality, instead launching themselves into their fourth decade on the best foot possible.