Alcatraz Line up: 2022, 2024

Aborted is undoubtedly one of the best and longest-lived Belgian metal bands. Vocalist Sven ‘Svencho’ De Caluwé is the only remaining founding member but despite the high personnel turnover their catalogue exhibits an enviable consistency. Aborted stands for a mix of no-holds-barred grindcore and death metal. It’s hard to pick just one or two albums but ‘Global Flatline’ (2012), ‘The Necrotic Manifesto’ (2014) and TerrorVision (2018) are among our favourites. Aborted are not innovators; their music respects genre conventions but they are exceptional at what they do. Formerly a purely Belgian band, the line-up has long since taken on an international character with members from the US, Italy and Iceland. Blastbeats and double bass galore, brutal death metal vocals alternated with menacing high-pitched screams, fast and dirty riffing and not even a hint of compromise: the perfect ingredients for a bone-shattering death grind slaughter. With a string of appearances at leading festivals and 11 albums under their belt, they have more than enough ammunition to grind your brains into cat food.