- Gilded Abyss colored Vinyl (500 Units ww.)
Technical death metal troupe Cognitive are back with Abhorrence, their fifth full length album and a tremendously worthy successor to 2021’s Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction. This is the New Jersey powerhouse quintet at its brutal best – unrelenting riffs leave the listener stunned, while a wave of thoughtful, devastating lyrics washes over. The album is a turbulent, draining but ultimately fulfilling experience. Cognitive started work on Abhorrence while touring Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction, sending tracks back and forth to each other while trekking from one intense gig to another. That desire to create something with an authentic artistic vision is what led to the recording of Abhorrence. The album is an exercise in aural turbulence, each taking the listener on a magnificently traumatic journey.
Looking back on Cognitive’s career, starting with 2012’s The Horrid Swarm EP, Wharton believes that he’s gotten smarter, older and wiser. 13 years after the release of their debut EP, the band’s fifth full-lengther sees them continue to make giant strides forward while retaining the elements of their past efforts that got them this far. Abhorrence may provide therapeutic commentary about how messed up the world currently is, but also, ironically, provides a breath of fresh air. We’re all in this together, so catch Cognitive on the road this year.
CD/ LP:
01. Abhorrence
02. Insidious
03. A Pact Unholy
04. Ivory Tower
05. As The Light Fades
06. Savor The Suffering
07. Containment Breach
08. Rorschach
09. Psychopathy
10. Cold Dead Hands