Review by JD on March 8, 2009.

Mendacity is a Floridian band that seems to be really making a name for themselves in the resurgence of the metal scene in the great Orange State. They have taken the best of bands like the mighty Florida based Death, and then adding in their own touches of blood laced brutality... Mendacity is now is making the scene come alive once again.

With every note leaping out and ending up having a stranglehold on your soul, Mendacity shows you exactly what it is that the southern metal scene is up to. With equal amounts of talent and power, the band seems to really want to make the very best music they can come out with... and succeeds with each piece they have. Musically, they remind me of Canada's Three Inches Of Blood with this really odd sort of leanings towards the quirky Doom Metal of Novembers Doom as well. A most unusual mix for an awesomely symbiotic band.

Musically, I cannot find many things to seriously complain about... they are great in that department... they are brutal while bringing to the table something that is so damned interesting to listen to. It is vocally, I think Mendacity need a little work.... the cleaner vocal parts are just flat out amazing, but it is the guttural screams need work to get some real substance to beef it up with... meaning that the band needs to be re-tooled and revamped. That is my main critique throughout the album... but it is large enough for me to comment on.

I enjoyed this debut album as a whole, as Mendacity do have an amazing future in store for them. Their next album will be waited on, and I look forward to experiencing the growth that I know will be brought to the table at the next recording sessions... growth that will just strengthen Metal in general ten fold..

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 14, 2020.

The title, the visual design, the fact that the six songs were “produced and mixed in a few hours” – Abigor obviously felt the urge to release an output which was stripped down to the essentials. In particular Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom) had an opulent aura, now came the turnaround. Guitars, drums, vocals and a bass guitar which is hardly audible, that’s it. Compared with the multi-layered songs of outputs like Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age, the here presented Apokalypse kneels in the morass of primitiveness. Sophistication, elegance, intelligence; all of them are conspicuous by their absence. And the hollow production exactly reflects the excessive studio session… the material sounds as cheap as an old demo, the drums have a mechanical touch and the vocals with a lot of reverb on it do not reach an over-average level.

After their first works I was clear that Abigor stand for black metal, but I thought they represent another form of this multi-faceted subgenre. Here they have disguised themselves as Norwegian newcomers, but, unfortunately, very incompetent beginners who cannot create an ice-cold surrounding. The tracks are acceptable to a certain degree, but they are totally expressionless. Nothing keeps sticking in the ears, there are no memorable guitar parts and only every now and then a morbid atmosphere shimmers through the guitar work, for example in the first part of “Hyperwelt”, a song that suffers from its powerless break after roughly 90 seconds. It’s surely difficult to pen complex tracks, but it is not easy to write totally exposed pieces as well. With regard to the latter discipline, Abigor fail here.

Blast beats parts, a constantly diabolic yet monotonous voice and rasping guitar leads are not enough to create the typical vibes of black metal. Apokalypse lacks individuality. It holds vehement and brutal sounds that do not spread the slightest aura. Moreover, the entire approach does not convey a feeling of authenticity and that’s a cardinal sin in terms of black metal, at least from my point of view. Usually I am the last one who spits on straight and simple pieces, but here the music leaves a stale aftertaste. The songs are interchangeable, one-dimensional, almost robotic and therefore they lack diabolic vibrations. A little bit more thoroughness would have been necessary, but too much attention for the songwriting was obviously incompatible with the concept of Apokalypse. Forgive me, but I will forget this release again “in a few hours” - or even faster.

Rating: 4 out of 10