Abscess — Though The Cracks Of Death( 2025 reissue)

First released in 2002, Through The Cracks Of Death was the third studio album from this Oakland, California, Death metal band. It saw the three-piece deepening the hardcore punk, doom,  and straight-out metal/ rock elements, for a more distinctive sound, which stood out from the run-of-the-mill stateside death metal. Here from Peaceville is a CD reissue of the album, which adds an extra fifteen bonus tracks- featuring assorted 7”, demos, and split release tracks.

The CD comes presented in a clear jewel case- this features a twelve-page booklet. On its outside, we get the album's fold-out artwork. And inside we have hand written lyrics, credits, and details of the bonus tracks.

Abscess were formed in the year 1994 by Autopsy members Chris Reifert and Danny Coralles, and in 2010, they disbanded. During their existence, they released five studio albums: Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men (1996), Tormented (2001), Through the Cracks of Death (2002), Damned and Mummified (2004), Horrorhammer (2007), and Dawn of Inhumanity (2010).

Through The Cracks Of Death was originally released on Relapse in 2002, it took in eleven tracks, with a line-up of: Chris Reifert-Drums, Bass, Vocals. Danny Coralles- Guitar, Bass. Clint Bower-Guitar, Bass, Vocals.

As mentioned in my intro text, the album blends in elements of hardcore punk, doom, and more formal metal & rock elements- it does this in a nicely naturalistic way.  In the album's first half, we go from the title track, which moves from galloping & careering death metal punk into tolling & nasty doom. There is the baying / prime evil death metal, sinister spiralling metal meets rock stomp of  “An Asylum Below” which features some neatly creepy knocking/ something trying to break out sound effects in its last few minutes.

Moving on to the second half of the original album, we find the gnarly death metal doom crossbred of “Monolithic Damnation”, it features this great double-beat drumming that almost touches on a dub-type groove.  There’s the manically bounding hardcore punk death metal attack of “16 Horrors”. With the original album playing out with the “Vulnavia”  a short instrumental track built around prime evil riff chugging layers- finishing things off in a nicely moody manner.

After the original albums over we get fifteen bonus tracks- these take in assorted 7”, demos, and split release tracks. And there are some great moments to be found. There’s “Die Pig Die” with its searing cymbal-bashing death punk attack, mix of guttural/ clean punk vocals, and, of course, pig grunts. “Throbbing Black Werebeast” is a stomping & messy punk and death with a wail rock lead breakdown. Whereas “Fucking Hell” is just a burst of speeding/ messy hardcore punk, with moments of grooving rock/ almost raw garage riffing.

As an album, Through The Cracks Of Death wonderfully blurs and bloody blitzes elements of death metal, punk, metal, and rock into an effective and engaging sonic strew. And this reissue is well worth picking up, as the album's been out of print for years, and you get the generous bonus of fifteen extra tracks to top things off.