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ABIGAIL WILLIAMS - BECOMINGLabel: Candlelight RecordsRelease: 2012 Review Author: Alexiel Divine |
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It seems quite obvious that Abigail Williams music style is mainly influenced by decades of Scandinavian metal. The latest release “Becoming” is a further exploration of how dark music can embrace black metal harmoniously. Abigail Williams manages to enrich the deep dark core of “Becoming” with some wonderfully creative details and captivating melodies. “Ascension Sickness” is a strong track that includes very melodic guitar riffs intertwined with aggressive Nordic black metal. Every element here conjures to create the sorrowful atmosphere of cold rainy days. There’s not a lot of excitement in the average black metal core, instead what really stands out is the poetic orchestration with violins and keyboards. “Radiance” is more straight forward track with the anguished vibes of doom metal, think of My Dying Bride, mixed with traditional black metal growls. The guitar riffs are melodic in a gloomy fashion while the rhythm section speeds up everything. “Elestial” is a furious extreme metal track adorned with a touch of romantic gothic metal atmosphere. While the beginning is very fascinating and promising, the rest of the song doesn’t add any tremendously unique element. After the classic quiet and thoughtful interlude “Three Days Of Darkness” insanity takes over with the seventeen minutes long “Beyond The Veil” which is the true gem of this album. Violin serenades and keyboards layers are the instrumental elements that stand out throughout the song and render it less oppressive, hence more accessible to the listeners. Also, the numerous orchestral sections evoke a lovely atmosphere full of melancholy and quiet despair that create a sharp contrast with the fast paced black metal guitar riffs and drumming. It is interesting how the violin style shifts between traditional folk reveries and exquisite classical sonatas. Overall, the main musical theme is more gothic than black metal. The melodic approach present in each and every song is what gives Abigail Williams a certain degree of musical individuality while the extremely old school black metal parts are too generic and often redundant. The true flaw of this new release is that the lengthy songs tend to lack elements of catchiness and this could eventually limit the band’s potential audience. In the end, I’m sure that all black metal lovers will truly appreciate “Becoming”. https://www.facebook.com/abigailwilliamsofficial http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/ |
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