abruptum: what's the deal

Well, why not try some MP3s first? Anyway, odd stuff, not very structured and frequently not "music" at all (not even in the Merzbow sense), more of an "aural nightmare" kind of thing. Random patches of noise, silence, guitars, noisy guitars, synth, screaming, and even more noise. Some hints of Sutcliffe Jugend, some Esoteric/Thergothon sounds. What I've heard didn't appeal to me much, so I wouldn't know how the albums differ from each other or even in what order they were recorded, although the album Di Sonus Veris Nigrae Malitiacs appears to be the favourite. I have a demo track from their early days (De Profundis Mors Vas Consumet) which is somewhat more traditional sludge/doom (mega-slow with down-downtuned guitars). Although they've released their albums on various metal labels, don't expect metal in any, apart from the dark/disturbing/malicious atmosphere.

i would second the "try some mp3s first" thing; "de profundis..." is a 3-song ep, the title track siegbran described well, the second track ("doedsapparaten") being bells clanging and searing, power-electronics-level noise, with the third track extending the theme as an outro. "vi sonus veris nigrae malitaes..." is one very long track that sounds exactly like what it is; an evil dwarf (IT) torturing himself, screaming and trying to rip the strings off of his guitar in an echo chamber. sort of early skullflower meets early bathory intro sound. review of another abruptum release (not by me) here. and another. definitely do not expect linear, metallic sounds. it's almost more like improv, more similar to masonna in inconsistency and 'construction' than merzbow.

Got obscuritatem aduoco amplectere me off eBay on the cheap. This is great stuff. Sort of smash-jazz minus the jazz.