Abinaya

Corps

Rebel Music

Abinaya come from somewhere in Europe and I’m going to take a guess that it’s France only because French is utilized throughout the CD and I’m a xenophobic, ignorant lazy American so I’m just geographically stereotyping them based on language. But fuck me and my freedom fries, does this band kick more ass than a stage hand at a Tijuana donkey show.

The production is top notch and the visual concept throughout the CD’s lyric book is effective in conveying the band on a visual level that’s completely congruent with their audio attack.

And attack they do, sometimes with assaulting relentlessness like the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan and other times slowing down and casually destroying everything in sight the way Godzilla strolls about Tokyo while simultaneously demolishing it.

Abinaya compose material that is a love letter to early Metallica and Pantera but done in a more “now” fashion.  There are also remnants of Rob Zombie, Sepultura Soulfly and Puya.  The vocals are a close relative to Serj Tankian as far as the pitch and range are concerned, but not as schizophrenic as Tankian’s.  The guitar tones are nice and meaty and the drums are precise and dynamic.  Throughout certain songs added percussion is employed giving the music an even greater dimension.

Every song is assassinated with airtight precision and brute, barbaric force.   Couple that with the smooth and delicate dialect of the French language being sung with melody and emotion and you have an amazing contrasting beast on a global scale.

And Abinaya are masters at knowing when to let the beast run loose in the yard and when to put it on a leash to allow room for other elements and influences to seep in.  One song in particular is track #5 (Algo Mais) that boasts the gentle and seductive aspects of Spanish infused guitar and rhythms mixed effortlessly with the bands driving force.

It takes true artistry and an unflinching vision to achieve what Abinaya have and a belief in that everything you create should be the best it possibly can be.  The band succeeds on every front they immerse themselves in.  Corps is an amazing CD and an accomplishment of epic proportions sadly not seen enough in today’s music.

If you’re a metal fan, any sub-genre, find a way to get this album, it’s an instant classic.

STUKE