Abacabb

Demo (2006)

IReviewMusic

Do you ever really, really like a band that you can never go see live?

You should try it. It's interesting.

Abacabb's a band like that. I'll just say they play heavy, slam-infused, technical grind/death metalcore. Are you going to have white-belt hoodie kid nightmares tonight? If so, then you catch my drift.

Although you'll probably want to stay away from their shows (unless you want your girlfriend getting elbowed in the face so you can get in a fight with the short, fat Ralph Macchio wannabe who did it), you'll probably give their demo a few more spins than you would most of the garbage that kids into that kind of stuff play nowadays.

You'll like it because it actually is technical. It's not just br00t4l or fast or low. It changes meter, changes tempo, skips two-steps and breakdowns for the most part, and is played right.

It's also creative. Not all the sounds coming out of the guitars are notes, and not everything is in insert-bottom-sting-here minor.

Just be warned that, as is to be expected of this stuff, the lyrics are insultingly dumb and delivered in the dumbest, least-sincere ways possible (bree, anyone?). Obligatory stupid movie clips are present, too.

Once upon a time, though, this was an interesting genre with some refreshing music inside of it. Some of that music sounded a lot like this, so if you're looking for 'good' metalcore, you might as well give Abacabb a try, even if you never earned your blackbelt and you have too much self-respect to start training in the middle of the floor at a hardcore show.