Abigor Fractal Possession
End All Life Productions EAL 052 May 2, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Abigor has returned. One of Austrias oldest and best black metal bands, Abigor unleashed numerous frenetically brilliant albums during the 1990s. What serious black metal fan can deny such behemoths as Verwustung/Invoke the Dark Age, Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom), Orkblut The Retaliation, and the majestic Supreme Immortal Art? To ignore these is to ignore black metal itself. Then Silenius left, and it seemed the band lost their way. While Channeling the Quintessence of Satan was actually a damn good album of technically adept and layered black metal, there was something missing. Satanized (A Journey Through Cosmic Infinity), on the other hand, is almost entirely forgettable, taking the band into cosmic (or post) territory. It lacked the punch and ferocity of previous releases, and seemed simply predictable. Gone were the complex arrangements, labyrinthine riffs, and hidden melodies that made Abigor the unique entity they were known to be.
Here we and Abigor are six years later. It seems Abigor have been forgotten in favor of the new school black metal bands with their polished productions and tendencies toward the avant garde. Hopefully Abigor will bring back some intelligence to the genre and a reminder of the halcyon days of the 1990s. So, charged with a new label, a new vocalist, and half a decades rest and collected wisdom, End All Life, P.K., and T.T., give us Fractal Possession.
Abigor was hardly expected to release something that would ignite the black metal underground afire. However, after six years one would assume they would give up the post tendencies and bring back the stench of old. Apparently not even Abigor is safe from those annoying influences, as Fractal Possession embraces those traits currently being used by hype bands such as Blut Aus Nord, and new era Mayhem. Overall, Abigor anno 2007 is nothing more than a second tier post-black metal band. That is not to say Fractal Possession is entirely worthless, as we do get some shining moments. No surprise then that those songs are the ones that stretch back to when Abigor was an unstoppable monster. The Fire Syndrome is particularly amazing, displaying those ghostly guitar lines under a mountain of noise, and new vocalist, A.R., giving his best performance. Yet for every spark of brilliant nostalgia such as Lair of Infinite Desperation, Liberty Rises a Diagonal Flame or Cold Void Choir you have those new-age lackluster moments like Vapourized Tears, Warning, Project Shadow, and 3D Blasphemy. On top of the lack of consistency, Abigor seems to have adopted the now popular usage of spoken word samples. These rarely add anything to an album. Musicians should let the music speak, not some random Hollywood actor.
So, Abigor has returned. Not all for the better. Fractal Possession is not a total disappointment, but it will do little to ingratiate them with the fans that left after Supreme Immortal Art. However, those who praise such bastardizations as current Blut Aus Nord, new era Mayhem, and the avant garde-isms of newer Deathspell Omega might find more of interest in Fractal Possession. This writer will just keep playing Nachthymnen and Verwustung until the prodigals return.
Official Abigor Website
Official End All Life Productions Website
End All Life Productions EAL 052 May 2, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Abigor has returned. One of Austrias oldest and best black metal bands, Abigor unleashed numerous frenetically brilliant albums during the 1990s. What serious black metal fan can deny such behemoths as Verwustung/Invoke the Dark Age, Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom), Orkblut The Retaliation, and the majestic Supreme Immortal Art? To ignore these is to ignore black metal itself. Then Silenius left, and it seemed the band lost their way. While Channeling the Quintessence of Satan was actually a damn good album of technically adept and layered black metal, there was something missing. Satanized (A Journey Through Cosmic Infinity), on the other hand, is almost entirely forgettable, taking the band into cosmic (or post) territory. It lacked the punch and ferocity of previous releases, and seemed simply predictable. Gone were the complex arrangements, labyrinthine riffs, and hidden melodies that made Abigor the unique entity they were known to be.
Here we and Abigor are six years later. It seems Abigor have been forgotten in favor of the new school black metal bands with their polished productions and tendencies toward the avant garde. Hopefully Abigor will bring back some intelligence to the genre and a reminder of the halcyon days of the 1990s. So, charged with a new label, a new vocalist, and half a decades rest and collected wisdom, End All Life, P.K., and T.T., give us Fractal Possession.
Abigor was hardly expected to release something that would ignite the black metal underground afire. However, after six years one would assume they would give up the post tendencies and bring back the stench of old. Apparently not even Abigor is safe from those annoying influences, as Fractal Possession embraces those traits currently being used by hype bands such as Blut Aus Nord, and new era Mayhem. Overall, Abigor anno 2007 is nothing more than a second tier post-black metal band. That is not to say Fractal Possession is entirely worthless, as we do get some shining moments. No surprise then that those songs are the ones that stretch back to when Abigor was an unstoppable monster. The Fire Syndrome is particularly amazing, displaying those ghostly guitar lines under a mountain of noise, and new vocalist, A.R., giving his best performance. Yet for every spark of brilliant nostalgia such as Lair of Infinite Desperation, Liberty Rises a Diagonal Flame or Cold Void Choir you have those new-age lackluster moments like Vapourized Tears, Warning, Project Shadow, and 3D Blasphemy. On top of the lack of consistency, Abigor seems to have adopted the now popular usage of spoken word samples. These rarely add anything to an album. Musicians should let the music speak, not some random Hollywood actor.
So, Abigor has returned. Not all for the better. Fractal Possession is not a total disappointment, but it will do little to ingratiate them with the fans that left after Supreme Immortal Art. However, those who praise such bastardizations as current Blut Aus Nord, new era Mayhem, and the avant garde-isms of newer Deathspell Omega might find more of interest in Fractal Possession. This writer will just keep playing Nachthymnen and Verwustung until the prodigals return.
Official Abigor Website
Official End All Life Productions Website
