Metal Underground.com

If the name “Dirty” didn’t tip you off, Aborym isn’t particularly interested in genre purity or remaining true to the early incarnations of black metal. The band’s sixth full-length album definitely doesn’t color within the lines, spilling industrial and electronic sounds into black metal with wild abandon, and sometimes dipping into even more unexpected areas of music.

“Dirty” opens with mysterious drum beats echoing into the vast nothing, while audio crackles and pops occur out of both speakers before “Irreversible Crisis” hits its true sound. Endless blast beats and harsh growls boom out, but are placed beside a constant synth presence for a muddled combination of crazy sounds. The first of many surprises takes place when the vocals suddenly turn into something more along the lines of Mindless Self Indulgence than the expected Norwegian black metal.

Aborym’s combination of styles is more varied than the industrial/black metal mash-ups made by bands like Blacklodge, which can be a boon and a curse. It offers a well-rounded listen, but also gives the music time to lag and be less non-stop explosive. “Dirty” is less relentlessly fuzzy and chaotic than something like The Kovenant, but it’s also not far enough on the electronic side to become glow stick friendly dance metal, like certain Samael releases. The album doesn’t skimp on either side, giving both the metal and the industrial aspects adequate time to have the focus.

Some of the odd combinations of sounds won’t work for everyone – the squeaking and squealing noises on “Across the Universe” immediately come to mind – but plenty of other experiments are more successful. The title track has a frantic pace that will work for fans of Nachtblut, while “The Factory of Death” instead suddenly drops in keys and gothic whispers for an eerie listen.

The disc’s title definitely fits, as these tracks are disturbing and messy, with an incredibly dark atmosphere and fun song titles like “Raped By Daddy.” If you’re brave enough to get down in the muck, and want to hear music that doesn’t stick to just one style, getting “Dirty” is completely worth it.