STRUP – Abyssurge

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  STRUP
• Duration: 00:26:00
• Available from: 02/20/2026
• Label:

• Rotted Life

Streaming not yet available

There isn't much information circulating about Strup, except that it is a new Ukrainian band born from the ashes of death metallers Wormitorium. “Abyssurge”, their long-distance debut, however, marks a rather clear departure from the past: instead of the slightly more structured death metal of the previous incarnation, here the focus shifts to an often urgent and essential death-grind, which seems to have directly assimilated what has been done in recent years by a band like Caustic Wound. The reference is not casual: “Abyssurge” in fact moves on coordinates made of compact structures, short songs and a constant feeling of nervousness. The accelerations are frequent, the tempo changes clear and punctual, the writing almost always focused on the immediate impact. Yet, beyond the fury, one perceives a certain attention in distinguishing the riffs, in giving them the necessary space to impress themselves before being overwhelmed by the next section. It is not a secondary detail: in an area where the risk of flattening is always around the corner, the Strups demonstrate that they already have a certain ear and a fair awareness of their weapons.

Looking further back, at the origins of the movement, names like Necrony and Blood could be cited as sources of inspiration, especially for that mixture of dry brutality and taste for sick detail that emerges in several episodes. However, since it is a young reality, it is natural to think that the first points of reference are precisely the aforementioned Caustic Wound, with a touch of Pissgrave in the most grotesque and deformed passages, when the sound material becomes more viscous and disturbing.
The work is very homogeneous, almost monolithic in its development: the first part stands out for a tight approach, with songs that follow one another without interruption, focusing on speed and impact. In the finale, however, Strup seem to be looking for a more marked variation, lingering on squarer and heavier scores (the ending of the title track is even a death-doom drift that flirts with Disembowelment), perhaps in an attempt to broaden their expressive palette and give greater prominence to a passion for groovy riffs.

However, it is precisely on these formulas that the limits of a project still in the settling phase emerge: the more thoughtful and extended sections are sometimes a little redundant, as if the band were more at ease in extreme compression than in the management of broader dynamics. The impression is that the more complex structures are, at least for now, slightly out of reach. However, these are limited moments within an album that is very succinct in duration and overall easy to listen to. “Abyssurge” does not present particularly sensational ideas, but addresses the genre with energy, coherence and an already rather defined identity. A discreet debut, which offers a glimpse of interesting growth margins.