ABOMINATOR - The Fire Brethren (CD)

For those steeped in the ancient metal underground, ABOMINATOR should require no introduction. Formed in 1994, the band - begun as a duo by vocalist / drummer Chris Volcano and guitarist Andrew Undertaker, which endures to this day - helped usher forth the now-renowned wave of Australian extremity that was so vital and violent throughout the '90s. From their initial demos in the mid '90s to successive albums for such legendary labels as Necropolis, Osmose, and Displeased, ABOMINATOR's brand of barbaric black / death metal was immediately recognizable and utterly uncompromising. And although lineup shuffles were aplenty, with former Bestial Warlust frontman Damon Bloodstorm manning the mic for a while, the duo of Volcano and Undertaker always sought the most extreme expression but always delivered it with finesse and even, daresay, class. No strictly gutter-dwelling noise for them; their heat-seeking missile of a sound was the embodiment of iron-fisted will.