Ossuary | Abhorrent Worship | Darkness Shall Rise Productions/Me Saco Un Ojo Records

 Ossuary is a death metal band known for its oppressive atmosphere, subterranean sound aesthetic, and sparse release schedule. With members Izzi Plunkett (guitar, vocals), Matt Jacobs (bass), and Nick Johnson (drums), the band has crafted a sonic identity rooted in a primal and deliberate heaviness. Rather than rushing material or oversaturating their presence, Ossuary builds anticipation with each release, channeling time and intention into their sound. Their approach evokes cavernous depths and hopeless descent, placing emphasis on tension, weight, and pace over technical flash or embellishment.

“Abhorrent Worship” is 37 minutes of concentrated decay. The album opens like a sealed tomb, not in haste but with gravity. Every riff, every drum strike, every vocal line feel submerged in ancient filth, yet is executed with exactness. There’s no sense of modern gloss or arbitrary chaos—Ossuary deals in calculated suffocation. The sound is grim and wet, like something lost far below the earth’s crust and only now unearthed to bring death.

The guitars offer a continuous barrage of lurching rhythms and drawn-out dissonance. Moments of static atmosphere give the illusion of space, only to collapse again into structured violence. Izzi Plunkett’s vocals do not dominate the mix—they emerge like rot seeping through cracked stone, inseparable from the crushing motion of the band. Matt Jacobs on bass adds a low-end weight that never attempts clarity, instead blending into the grinding mass with absolute cohesion. Nick Johnson’s drum work resists speed for the sake of speed. Each blast, roll, and stomp feels like a collapsing vault door rather than a performance for its own sake.

The mix—courtesy of Marcus at No Master’s Voice—is thick and oppressive, never prioritizing one element too much. The album feels singular and unrelenting from the first minute to the last. Jack Control’s mastering ensures that the tension holds, never breaking even when things slow to a crawl or when they reach peak volume. There’s no need for frills, no breaks, no variety for variety’s sake. Ossuary has crafted something that does not invite you in. It traps you. And once you’re in, you're left with no exit but erosion.

Score: 7.3