Abysmal, the violent second full-length from Nashville, Tennessee-based hardcore/powerviolence duo, THETAN, has been released online for full streaming! Check it out below and grab a copy today through Anti-Corporate Music! THETAN has booked a hometown release show for Abysmal, the gig secured at DRKMTTR in Nashville for February 15th. Watch for more widespread touring to be announced shortly.
Ending a four-year release hiatus in releasing recorded material, THETAN delivers Abysmal, continuing their legacy of creating point-blank, depressive, powerviolent hardcore. The album deploys eighteen pulverizing tracks in just as many minutes, an intense offering which sees the band simultaneously exploring new territory with more nuanced stylings, though never straying from the pulverizing delivery that they have adopted for the past years. Recorded by Eliott Virula., Abysmal was mastered by the band’s Dan Emery through his own Black Matter Mastering (Buzzov*en, Kool Keith, Dwarves, Krieg). Fully complimenting the sonic chaos, the LP version features animated vinyl etchings the company has provided for such artists as the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Dälek, and others.
THETAN was spawned from the remnants of Nashville hardcore band Sanctions in 2011. Opting to forgo finding a new guitar player, and move forward as a two-piece, they recorded their first EP, Welcome To Whine Country, a mere three months after their first band practice. Since then, the outfit has released an LP titled Laughed At By The Gods, five split releases including splits with Bleed The Pigs, Bible Thumper, and others, as well as several singles, compilation tracks, and more preceding their new LP, Abysmal. Fans of Nails, Weekend Nachos, Dead In The Dirt, Hatred Surge, Die Choking, and the like should investigate the blasting ways of Abysmal.
“…Abysmal is a huge can of audio whoop ass that will whip you into a frenzy! Damn, this Nashville duo have brought the goods once again with their short, powerful songs that are not for the weak of heart.” / Cvlt Nation
THETAN declares,
“Abysmal is the culmination of years of kicks in the head and missed therapy sessions. The lyrical themes are an unfortunate glimpse into the disrupted human mind. A psychological bloodletting. The musical accompaniment is the manifestation of a life of manic episodes and oppressive guilt and shame. This album represents the ugliness in all humans, except for us, we’re fine as hell.”
There is little in terms of variation, but one of the few, but key, divergences within the sound however, is the emphasis on the low-end. Some bands operate a strictly treble attack, like that of California’s premier noise merchants THE LOCUST or the early work of DAUGHTERS, aimed to pierce ear drums rather than bludgeon guts. However, some groups opt for an entirely bass-led offensive. MAN IS THE BASTARD perhaps spear-headed this movement with their duelling bass dynamic, and in their wake numerous superb bands have formed. Nashville’s THETAN are one of these such bands, and they sound positively rabid. Forming from the ashes of SANCTIONS in 2011, rather than seeking a new guitarist, they rebranded themselves and remained a solely drum and bass duo. Following a 4 year hiatus, they have returned triumphantly with Abysmal, a splendid collection of 18 songs of savage power-violence in as many minutes. / DistortedSoundMag.com
