One can only be curious to hear what Abigor will do next, after having listened to their previous effort, Fractal Possession, which was kind of a revolution in the band’s always personal sound. Yeah, it’s true that Abigor have always had a distinct sound of their own but, at the same time, they have always been expanding and refining it to unsuspected limits.
This ‘Time is the Sulphur in the Veins of the Saint’ is another twist on their sound and compositional skill, obvious first by the fact that we have just two long compositions, near twenty minutes each one. So, if we had to compare this album to the previous one, the first thing we would think would be that it seems to lack structure, due to the long compositions which apparently do not repeat anything, so there is no song structure anymore and it’s difficult to keep track of all the parts, riff after riff. Because both of the parts of ‘Time’ are ever-evolving pictures of despair and desolation, and it may look like there is no continuity along the composition, but we have to make an effort and abandon any typical album view and take the time to let ourselves enter the big picture without searching for choruses and such structures.
On the other hand, if we had to compare the sound with that of previous incarnations, the sound is quite similar to that on Fractal Possession, but the palette is indeed richer. The effects and guitar modulations are more subtle and we have some new effects plus some synths here and there, and given the approach is more atmospheric the production is more adequate for slower parts and slightly better overall. Especially the bass sound has improved, that contributes to obtain an overall colorful sound opposed to the more synthetic one that was present on Fractal Possession.
Finally, the most important thing about the review: the picture itself. The overall mood reeks of post-apocalypticism and decadence, with a lot of dark ambiences and decaying slow parts, but there are also a lot of fast riffs trademark of Abigor with their so personal melodies and some mid-tempo riffs, so the image is painted with variety in style and emotions. The amalgam of sources of sonic anguish is enviable here, from almost ambiental parts with synths to raging blastbeats with special effects, through vocal choirs and doomy or even industrial parts, in continuous progression. The theme is TIME and it seems they achieve to express what they want, because listening to the album I get the impression of travelling in time through the band’s different eras, from the rawest to the most sophisticated, the same as history itself, even I get a glimpse of what the future would be for the band, and surely the blurry and darkened image that paints in my mind with each listen corresponds to the future of mankind and the unfolding of the world’s history. Or at least that’s the impression I get with every listen…
Adryuu
VITALS:
Release: 18th January 2010
Label: End All Life
Avantgenre: Timeless Black Metal
Duration: 38:06
Origin: Austria
Official site: http://www.abigor.at
Review online since: 18.02.2010 / 10:34:31
| TRACKLIST:
01 – Part I |
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