Abisso. The two piece continue to slay with their drums and guitar, but have also added samples, drum machines, and synthesizers to the mix. These added instruments help to thicken the sound and make Abisso a force to be reckoned with." />

The high, airy wall of strings that are the beginning (and background) of "Harmonia Microcosmica" starts the album off on a fairly misleading foot. The semi industrial drums and low guitar that follow set the tone far better. It's heavy and full of head nodding goodness. The vocals take on an almost Blixa Bargeld like screech coupled with a rough, angry growl. I was surprised that I like the vocals as much as I do, because I generally hate women going gruff and tough on vocals. This song flows well into the next industrial rocker, "Tokoloshi." The deep bass hits coupled with the tight rhythm have an almost danceable quality to them. Stefania takes a different approach here and goes full on mystic warble. For the most part, I get a Goblin - Suspiria soundtrack vibe from it. "I Cannibali" continues the scratchy, industrial groove. The guitars (synths? Both?) are super thick with a nice, biting fuzz on the end. Other than the beginning minute or so, the three openers play like an industrial suite. It's excellent stuff. Showing that they have no trouble switching gears, "A Dream Within A Dream" slows the pace down to a crawl. It's sparse, doomy, and droning. Alan Dubin of Gnaw guests on vocals and he fits in perfectly. The song picks up momentum about two-thirds of the way through, and Stefania adds her low growl to the fray. "Aeneis" brings us back into marching order with its stomping, tribal drums, scratch feedbacked guitars, and thick drone. The vocals are a bit higher on this, but still grouchy (kinda sound like the vocals in Flesh Parade). A low backbone supports consistent drums and high, quickly strummed guitars for half of "Harmonia Macrocosmica." Nearing the halfway point, the beat changes and goes along with  a rough loop in the background. The rough vocals come in and make you feel like your at an evil rave. This comes back out to something similar to the first half, but with a different beat. Samples are employed, and the creepiness continues. Quality! The crying girl that starts "Abisso" follows "Macrocosmica" nicely. Trashy textures swim along with a thick drone. The panning back and forth of the oscillations add another layer of unease to this jam, and that is very welcomed.

Another side of OvO is revealed on "Pandemonio." What starts out fast and punky gets kinda sparse, low, and fuzzed out for a brief bit before coagulating into an atonal fuzzfest. Pandemonium for sure, and definitely the noisiest track on the album so far. "Ab Uno" starts soft but the drums, drone, and low, decaying synth bring it around and you're nodding your head again before you know it. Much like "Dream Within A Dream," on "Fly Little Demon," the sound is changed up and a guest is added. This slow, sung/spoken number has OvO alongside Evangelista. It's a pretty cool track, but is not my style. It's too spread out for me, I guess. The last track, "Fame," looks to be a bonus or hidden track, as I can't see it on any website. It sounds like live, physical noise. The horrible screeching and low, thick growl are reminiscent of Crash Worship (minus the drums).

On the whole, Abisso plays more like a rock album than the parts suggest. Each piece seems simple on its own, but OvO put them together brilliantly to make a thick, fun, very enjoyable album. The addition of the new instruments and techniques worked very well and I look forward to what's in store in OvO's future.