UMUR
"Abyss" is an EP release by Finnish death metal act Mind Riot. The EP was released through Sakara Records in September 2021. It´s the successor to the May 2017 "Come Undone" EP, which was a comeback release for Mind Riot, who had not been active since the late 90s, their latest release at the time being the 1996 "Inferno Go-Go" album.
Stylistically the material on "Abyss" is a continuation of the melodic death metal style of "Come Undone" (featuring both growling and clean vocals), and the stylistic continuity between the two releases is the most surprising feature of "Abyss" as Mind Riot have never before released two releases in a row with a similar sound and style. Maybe they´ve finally found the music style they want to pursue. The material is well written and quite catchy. They´ve honed their songwriting since "Come Undone" and "Abyss" generally appear like a more fully conceived release.
Mind Riot are a well playing band and "Abyss" also features a heavy, meaty, and detailed sound production, which perfectly suits the material, so upon conclusion it´s a good quality release from Mind Riot. It´s not a releaes which changes the face of melodic death metal or which adds anything new to the genre, but it´s still a good quality release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.