BODYFARM – Ultimate Abomination

RELEASE YEAR: 2023

BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodyfarm/107945989258106

The last Asphyx full length “Necroceros” was an album that proved that classic death metal (with plenty of melody) does not have to sound antiquated but can excite like those well-known by Death or Obituary, especially since Asphyx was born in/into the same time. Their fellow countrymen Dutch purveyors Bodyfarm have been proving just that since 2009 through “Malevolence”²⁰¹², “The Coming Scourge”²⁰¹³, “Battle Breed”²⁰¹⁵ and “Dreadlord”²⁰¹⁹ albums founded by vocalist and guitarist Thomas Wouters and drummer Quint Meerbeek who left in 2019. Wouters had passed away from cancer that same year replaced by Dead Head’s Ralph De Boer who is currently joined by Bram Hilhorst (2009-guitars), Alex Seegers (2020-guitars) and David Schermann (2021-drums) the line up which recorded their 5th album, “Ultimate Abomination” released last month, an album which the promo release calls their finest to date and I, for one, wholeheartedly agree.

Ralph & Co. know how to write perfect death metal anthems, the favorite “Symbolical Warfare” a primary example bringing the aforementioned Asphyx to mind with a fair amount of black metal mixed in. Equally riveting is the more melodic “The Wicked Red” recalling Megadeth’s “Black Swan” for the structure and melody. Bodyfarm, as usually but just as convincingly proves they are not a one trick pony with a gargantuan doomish “The Swamp”, again, heavily Asphyxian (think “Three Years Of Famine”) with Hypocritical overtones, overall the first half with slightly better songwriting than the second. The second half of the album being equally worth 5/6 mark throughout, tracks such as the My Dying Bridian “Carving Repentance”, the Behemothian “Empire Of Iniquity” and “Soul Of Damnation” with the excellent riff recalling Pantera’s “Hell’s Wrath (Living Through Me)” and leads worthy of Chuck Schuldiner on Death’s “Symbolic” is further proof of Bodyfarm’s ability to craft memorable and varied crushing material.

Of flaws I shall not speak at length since the second half’s very good but not great quality fully justifies the reflective score but two tracks seem to be just a standard death metal fare: the opener “Torment” and the early In Flamesian “Blasting Tyranny”.

“Ultimate Abomination” was likely named so on purpose to reflect the lyrical loose concept about religious hypocrisy of those who claim to represent Jesus Christ but do not which is obvious to the world but not so much to those who ignorantly call them their brothers and sisters in the same, but also to signal Bodyfarm’s best work to date. If you like classic death metal with hints of 90s Megadeth, groovers like Pantera or Lamb Of God and black metal a’la early English sung Dimmu Borgir you know when your pay day is.