Some days you just hate mankind and wish for the sweet nuclear end we’ve been promised since the ’50s to finally wrap us in its welcoming irradiated embrace. I mean, that’s normal right? I know I’m not the only one. Such negative days need an appropriate soundscape and 
that is usually fulfilled with the most chaotic discordant metal I can find.Today, that metal is Abhomine’s “Larval Swine Offal”. Underground legend Pete Helmkamp has made a career out of vocalizing this attitude through various projects such as Revenge, Angelcorpse and Order From Chaos. What has changed with Abhomine is that he is the captain and crew, writing and recording all the instruments (save the drums) and oh what a mighty ship he captains. Crushing blackened blasts shift into sludgy guitar riffs that crash like waves on shores made of broken glass screams; it’s a repulsive yet entrancing ride.
Larvae Swine Offal wallows in misanthropy and dissatisfaction, scratching the same nihilistic itch that Eyehategod and their ilk do. So many bands attempt (key word: attempt) to inject this level of negative emotion in their work and it usually comes off as lack luster, edgy, or at worst, forced. There really isn’t anything much sadder than disingenuous
loathing. When the loathing is sincere, as is the case here, it makes it that much more powerful.
“Buried with Pig” is a good example of this albums willingness to not follow any set blueprints, using elements of crust, sludge, black and death metal interchangeably. At no time does the song sound like anything but an organic progression; it’s just where the songs needed to go. “Nest of Disgust” utilizes the crust and sludge elements to full effect, proving itself to be one of the strongest songs on the album thanks to its heroin nod-ready riffs and a hefty back end provided by voluminous drums.
The album doesn’t give you a chance to get bored, thanks in part to the aforementioned style change-ups but also owing to the dense nature of the songs. Most of the songs here have so much going on you need at least a handful of listens before you can really soak up all of what’s spewing forth. It wasn’t until the third or fourth go-around that I really had a solid handle on what this album is all about, so don’t expect it doesn’t click the first time. Like most things worth your time, it doesn’t come immediately but when it does you are rewarded immeasurably.
This album covers so many bases and unites so many little elements of various sub-genres that fans of most extreme metal sub-genres should find something to grab ahold of here. Get it from Hells Headbangers (who are quickly becoming my personal favorite label at the moment) and Osmose Productions and loathe mankind with the rest of us.