Aborted vs. Kreator – Extreme Metal Olympics 2016, Round 1

We've got some neighborly competition in Round 1 of the Extreme Metal Olympics! Hailing from Belgium, Aborted and their Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done album will tangle with German thrash maniacs Kreator and their unrelenting Pleasure to Kill.

Belgium’s premiere deathgrinders Aborted hit a creative apex in 2003. Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done brought concussive drumming to furious, pedal-shifted riffs and Sven de Caluwe’s mix of gutturals and pig squeal vocals. The buzzsaw guitar tone is as sublte as a brick to your face, opening veins and severing limbs best exemplified by the title track, “Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation)” and “Sea of Cartilage.”

Kreator’s sophomore record, the positively devastating Pleasure to Kill, has enough intensity and speed to content with Slayer’s Reign in Blood. Mille Petrozza’s scratchy voice felt intuitively evil, especially when spewing murderous lyrics on “Pleasure to Kill,” “Ripping Corpse” and “Under the Guillotine.” A sonic blur at times, Germany’s Kreator challenged preconceived notions about thrash, helping to bridge the gap between the genre and it’s natural successor: death metal.

Which album will move on to the Quarterfinals of the Extreme Metal Olympics? Vote for either Aborted's Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done or Kreator's Pleasure to Kill in the poll below and check out a song from each album beneath the poll if you're unfamiliar.

(This poll will end on Thursday, Aug. 11, at 9AM ET. Fans are able to vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite song wins!)

Aborted, "Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation)"

Kreator, "Pleasure to Kill"

Extreme Metal Olympics Matchups