From our formative years to socialising as adults, we all enjoy playing with our friends. Why keep something to ourselves when the fun can be spread? That's an outlook that Belgian deathgrind veterans Aborted seems to have taken to heart with their latest offering, "Vault Of Horrors," as every single one of the ten tracks present features a guest appearance. In fact, there are more deathcore vocalists on this album than the average lineup of a Suffocation tour. It's an interesting approach though and one which fans are sure to appreciate. But does it pay off? Well, keep reading and I'll tell you.

"Vault Of Horrors" kicks off in tremendous fashion with "Dreadbringer," an almost ridiculously fast number which contains traces of black metal to begin with, before evolving into a sneering, evil take on grindcore. The speed is really quite remarkable and will not only be revisited, but increased elsewhere on the record, especially "Insect Politics," which features Jason Evans of Ingested and races past the listener with all the intensity of punk rock. "Condemned To Rot" is another which reaches terminal velocity, this time boasting a guest appearance by Francesco Paoli of Fleshgod Apocalypse.

It's not all about speed though. Aborted are known for their love of horror movies and they're able to capture the eerie atmosphere these films can produce, most notably with "The Golgothan." It's not necessarily the best song they've ever written, but it sticks out among some of the other tracks for its creepy nature, something expanded upon in the finale, "Malevolent Haze." This was a great choice to close out the album, as it becomes very melodic, a departure from the rest of the album which revels in brutality, yet maintaining a real sense of malevolence.

While it's a very good album, there are a few moments where it can feel a little standard, for lack of a better word. "The Shape Of Hate" is pretty generic, but is at least saved by a wicked guitar solo, while "Naturom Demonto," is another that seems to pass the listener by if they're not paying attention and is a little messy. "Hellbound" is also slightly cluttered, though by no means bad. These don't lose the record any points though, as they're not terrible songs by any stretch.

After almost thirty years, fans know what to expect by now when it comes to Aborted. They're reliably heavy and vicious and can be trusted to serve up a suitably nasty concoction of extreme metal. "Vault Of Horrors" doesn't affect their reputation one way or the other, being ten songs which hardcore fans will love, the casual fan will enjoy and detractors of the style won't buy into. Aborted has long been one of Belgium's best known names when it comes to metal and rightfully so, as they're the kind of band that can build bridges between different varieties of extreme metal, without stepping anywhere they shouldn't. This is a very good addition to their impressive catalogue.