JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C
3/11/08
ABIGAIL WILLIAM / BRIGHTER THAN A 1000
SUNS
You would be forgiven for thinking that with a name like
Abigail Williams that this CD would be a female solo artist but this is far from
the case, they are in fact an American Black Metal band with orchestral and classical piano
mixed in with some very fine Metal.
Musically they invoke the ghost of the mighty Emperor, which
is no bad thing, in fact Trym Torson from
(Emperor, Zyklon) contributes to the album,
when they use the orchestral keyboards the Emperor influence is very strong and
speaking of keyboards the use of classical style piano on Metal records is very
rare but works really well on here and sets this apart from the rest of the
pack, just listen to the powerful opening track “The World Beyond”, the
orchestral work is not just an add on its an integral part of the song and would
work well even without the powerful Metal riffs that roars underneath it. The exhilaration that comes form
the tracks “A Thousand Suns” and
“Into The Ashes” its totally magic to my ears and gives me a real buzz similar
to the stunning album by Biomechanical that came out earlier this
year.
This is without doubt one of the best Black Metal albums
this year, especially the performance of the bands dominant keyboard player,
usually they are just there for atmospherics, listen out for; “Empyrean, Into Te
Cold Wastes”, “Floods” and “Smoke & Mirrors”
WEBSITE http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 46 mins + 10
BRILLIANT TRACKS
DOZER / BEYOND COLOSSAL
For some unknown reason Stoner Rock seems to be one of the
most ignored genre’s of Metal, how many Stoner bands can you name off the otp of your head? Maybe two Monster Magnet and Clutch being
the main ones, this is a crying shame as there are a lot of good bands out
there, Dozer being one of them.
For those who don’t know Dozer are one of the best Swedish
Stoner band’s and their songs are powerful, haunting and atmospheric and remind
me at times of the much lamented Kyuss, check out the
lengthy “Exoskeleton, Pt. 2” for proof, the oddly named track “!Message Through
The Horse” is just as powerful but more succinct and still packs a mighty punch
with its evocative vocal melody and riff filled, detuned organic guitar
sound. The albums kicks off in fine
style with the fast paced “The Flood” Stoner Rock doesn’t get much better than
this, “Fire For Crows”, “Empire’s
End” and “Grand Inquisitor” are just as memorable and a joy to listen to. The album finishes with “Bound For Greatness” that features voice and the unmistakable sound
of a
If you don’t know much about Stoner Rock then this CD by
Dozer is a fine place to start as their evocative melodies and powerful guitar
riffs are a pure joy to listen to and this is one of the best Stoner albums of
the year.
WEBSITE http://www.dozermusic.com/ & http://www.smallstone.com/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 44 mins + 10
TRACKS