ABHORROT was a Black/Death Metal band from Vienna/Austria. The band was founded in 2007 by Blackpriest (guitar, vocals), Goatvomit (bass) and Necrofister (drums) and released its first demo tape called “Death in Blasphemy” in spring 2008. A second demo called “The Sanctvary ov Darkness” was released in 2009, followed by an appearance on a 4-way split tape and a 7” EP called “Rites of prehistoric Darkness” in 2011. A monumental 12” MLP titled “Sacrificial Incarnations of Perpetual Death” was released in 2014 and an album was recorded in Summer 2015. It took until 2019 though until this album was released as “Abysmal Echoes” - the band is more or less inactive/on-hold since the beginning of 2016.
2. In 2019 you released your first full length, musically ow does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
As far as the band members are concerned, the album represents the natural continuation of all previous material. If anything, there’s a little more attention to detail in there when compared to previous releases. The songs on the album could also be considered a little more refined, but in the end, we believe that it’s up to the listener to come up with their own conclusion in terms of comparing it to our other releases.
3. This was also your first release since 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
The years passed quickly indeed. ABHORROT’s last public appearance dates back to Nov. 2015 - a live video of that performance can be found here, it includes tracks from “Abysmal Echoes” as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKF8Lrl12k4
Since then, the band stayed inactive aside from working on the album recordings and finally getting it released in 2019.
4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?
Many of the stories, ideas and concepts used for inspiration came from whatever recorded (human) history, religions, archeological excavations, ruins, tombs, cemeteries and so on. Another huge influence was H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole and we also got inspired by a bunch of occult/esoteric material that fit right in there. So overall, our main inspiration was basically a wild collection of all the darkness and evil we could find, written/recorded or transpired otherwise.
5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Abhorrot'?
Initially, what we had in mind was ABHORRENT DECAY (which was later used for a short lived web/print magazine) and some other names, but none of them really convinced us. Eventually, we came across some old Latin scriptures that had mentioned the word ABHORROT in context with something gloomy and dark, suggesting some sort of romanticized imagination of Death. The final decision took us some weeks, but in the end that was what we settled for.
6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
It’s an abstract piece by an artist called Paweł Czerwiński. We chose that one specifically, as it looks and feels like what the album title suggests – some sort of abyss the darkness we’d recorded could have crawled out of. In the words of Nietzsche: “[…] And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.”
7. Currently there are only 2 members in the band but you also had a bass player in the past, are you open to expanding the line up again in the future or do you prefer to remain a duo?
We had a 3 piece lineup for the first demo and the album, but everything else was done as a 2 piece. We always used whatever worked best at the time and if there’s ever going to be any further activities, we’d go for a 3 piece if possible. Especially live, the 3 piece lineup is preferable of course, simply for the intensity a real bass provides.
8. Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows in the past?
We did a bunch of shows over the years, yes. They ranged from little club shows to an appearance at a festival in Germany, so we really can’t complain about a lack of live engagements. We always preferred the intensity of smaller club shows though, especially if they were set up in a way that made the bands also match well. Most notable appearances were together with Proclamation, Inquisition or Bestial Raids. We also once had a spot to open for Dead Congregation in 2015, but we had to cancel that show last minute unfortunately.
9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
I wouldn’t say that we became “famous” or anything like that, but the feedback we got was generally positive. We were never in it for the fame, but positive reviews, interview requests and live appearances certainly provided motivation to keep going. As of today, I guess we’re satisfied with what we achieved between 2007 and 2015.
10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Hard to say, as we don’t see any future for the band at the moment. It’s been dormant since 2015, so whatever we’d come up with (if anything at all) would certainly be interesting…
11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Back then, our main influences were bands like ASPHYX, DEMONCY, TEITANBLOOD, ARCHGOAT, etc.
These days, music is not such an important part of our lives anymore I’d say, there’s mostly silence, ambient or synthwave playing.
12. Does Occultism play any role in your music?
It did, yes. Mostly as a concept and a source for inspiration though.
13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
It’s more than unlikely for ABHORROT to come back as an active band. But we’d like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who’s been supportive of our doing over the years, making it possible for us to create an unleash a ton of Death Metal Darkness.
PS: there’s a demo collection available now and it includes some unreleased rehearsal and live material. Everything has been restored and remasterd based on the original MC sources. Check it out here: https://morbidchapelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-demos-2007-2009
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