Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Death) and Greg Wilkinson (also Autopsy, Deathgrave) combined bring sixty-one years of experience to the death-metal scene, the former since 1985 and the latter 1998. It’s only fitting that the two would not only come together to form a new band, but to also unleash an album that immediately sounds simultaneously old-school and deep-rooted.

Labyrinth Of Veins (Peaceville) – the debut release from Static Abyss – is a Death/Doom compilation, coupled with a tinge of grindcore techniques sprinkled in here and there (‘Jawbone Ritual’, ‘Nothing Left To Rot’). A modern take on a nineties-esque piece of work, so to say.

Reifert fronts the stampede and works the kit. His girthy spoken vocals on opener ‘Feasting On Eyes’ possesses the same feel as Behemoth – equal parts Satanic and spine-tingling . ‘Mandatory Cannibalism’ is aggressively vulgar, dropping multiple f-bombs.

Wilkinson handles guitars and bass and lays down the doom on the titular song. ‘You Are What You Kill’ can be described only as bite-sized ferocity. He also pulls double (quadruple?) duty, taking care of the engineering, mixing and mastering, as well.

The album is abrasive, stampeding, gloomy death metal. The doom makes its presence felt especially on ‘Labyrinth Of Veins’. The combined effort from Reifert and Wilkinson reeks of vintage grime. 

Overall, the record is a refreshing back-and-forth of subtle stylistic decision-making. It certainly delivers what’s advertised as mentioned before, but it also challenges the listener to dig deeper and scrape past the moldy and crusty veneer.  

Not that anyone necessarily wants to be reminded of the pandemic; but Labyrinth… provides yet another soundtrack to combat COVID, this time more of the sewage, nuclear-waste variety. Precisely for those days when nothing seems to be in your favor, and you’re fed up with putting on a fake smile.

Buy the album here: https://staticabyss.lnk.to/LabyrinthOfVeins

7 / 10

MATT COOK