UMUR
"Global Flatline" is the 7th full-length studio album by Belgian death metal act Aborted. The album was released through Century Media Records in January 2012. It´s the successor to "Strychnine.213" from 2008. Four years between albums is a bit unusual for Aborted, who are usually a very busy band. Both when it comes to releasing new material but also when it comes to touring. The four years between albums have not been spend doing nothing though. First off everyone in the lineup except lead vocalist/band founder Sven de Caluwé have been replaced. So this is an almost completely new lineup compared to the lineup who recorded "Strychnine.213 (2008)". Aborted also released the "Coronary Reconstruction" EP in 2010, so there´s also been one release to bridge the gap between "Strychnine.213 (2008)" and "Global Flatline".
Stylistically there are very few surprises if you´re familiar with the last couple of preceding releases by Aborted. It´s relatively brutal and technically well played death metal, featuring good rhythmic variation, some nicely played melodic guitar solos), and aggressive higher pitched snarling vocals complimented by deep growling ones. The band are very well playing, the songwriting professional and relatively catchy, and the sound production is powerful, clear sounding, and detailed. The lyrical subjects are as usual gore/horror themed, which song titles like "Fecal Forgery", "Our Father, Who Art of Feces", and "Vermicular, Obscene, Obese" are a testament to.
The material on the 13 track, 43:40 is relatively memorable, but it´s not instantly catchy, and in the case of most tracks, they require several spins before settling. Some of them feel a bit like filler material too, but there are standout tracks on the album like "Of Scabs and Boils" and "Expurgation Euphori". The former featuring a hardcore punk influenced rhythm (reminding me of early Carcass), and the latter being a more atmospheric slow paced track. Upon conclusion "Global Flatline" is another quality death metal release by Aborted, but it doesn´t stand out much in their discography. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.