"LEGEND" ep reviews

[sorceron]

heres one to start

from Planet Loud
http://www.planet-loud.com/v6/recordreview.php?album_id=1008

Ledgend
Abigail Williams
Candlelight Records

Release Date : Out Now

In Brief - Phoenix extremists give the big boys a run for their money
Social Networking site Myspace has a lot to answer for. It has given millions of shit bands like Enter Shikari the chance to shine in a world were talent seems to sit in second place behind how many “friends” you’ve got. However, if you spend long enough on the site, you will occasionally find a gem of a band. Which is how Planet Loud first discovered Phoenix extremists Abigail Williams. Ahead of their forthcoming UK tour with fellow brutalists Suicide Silence, the Arizona outfit have issued this crushing five track EP.

Featuring ex-Black Dahlia Murder drummer Zach Wilson in their ranks, the Phoenix quintet take their lead from European black metal heavyweights like Dimmu Borgir and Emperor. Playing epic slabs of symphonic black metal, the band pummel the senses with a terrifying aural assault. Starting off with quite and old-school thrash feel to their sound, it only takes until track two, Like Carrion Birds, that the band really kick into their symphonic groove with Ashley Jurgermeyer providing the band with enough pomp to guarantee they will win over the blackened hearts of the Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir faithful. However, the band truly come into their own as they scream into the furious, raw black metal epic Watchtower.

While bands like Cradle Of Filth have given the black metal scene a bit of a circus edge, it’s nice to see that there are bands like Abigail Williams who are more than willing to keep it raw. A quality release from a band who will scare the shit out of you. Reviewer Graham Finney

 

[sorceron]

from this site http://www.montagpress.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1579&Itemid=40

Written by James
Friday, 06 October 2006
Abigail Williams - Legend (Tour EP)
Candlelight 2006

In their search for a way in which to eclipse the rest of the myspace fashion metal catwalk with their masterful combination of plagiarism, irritation and disappointingly misapplied talent, Asslick Arizona's Abigail Williams have hit paydirt. By combining a style of music that everyone's sick of, Gothenburg-flavoured breakdown-laden ‘deathcore', and a style of music that nobody liked to begin with, the symphonic necro-pop of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, they're able to reach new heights of underserved hype, whilst at the same time selling thousands upon thousands of badly conceived goffick t-shirts to idiots.

On top of that, whilst bands like Job For A Cowboy and Suicide Silence had the dignity to tour on the back on an EP that was myspaced to death, Abigail Williams have dick to show for it save this, the ‘tour EP' containing four songs that are available on their myspace and a demo, all rushed out ‘exclusively' for the UK audience.

Whether or not history will remember ‘Legend' as a sought-after gem trading sweaty hands for obscene prices or a shameless cash-in reviled for its laziness and transparent money-grabbing, only time will tell. However one thing is clear right now: songs like ‘Watchtower', sickeningly tight slices of studio-polished black metal ruined only by frankly moronic Tomas Lindburg ‘I FEEEEL MY >insert condition here<' moments and the most derivative chord progression since the last It Dies Today, show a band with phenomenal skill who have chosen to apply to a set of deeply cynical ends.

 

[sorceron]

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS - Legend ep (candlelight)

4 K's out of 5

"THE BLOODY BIRTH OF BLACK METALCORE"

"It only takes a rummage through the legions of identikit emo and metalcore bands to find a glittering gem. Despite looking exactly as you might imagine, Abigail Williams have taken fresh-faced metal down the left hand path, adding the eerie symphonic bluster of Cradle and Dimmu to their feral, heads-down deathcore. The result is obscenely exciting, as blastbeats and inhuman shrieks thud like freshly dispatched corpses against the drama and menace of black metal at its most theatrical. And given the sheer quality of their songs, particularly 'From A Buried Heart' and 'Watchtower', its easy enough to forgive a Hitler haircut or two.

Download: 'from a buried heart'.
For fans of: 'Cradle Of Filth, The Black Dahlia Murder'.

 

[Babykabob]

In their search for a way in which to eclipse the rest of the myspace fashion metal catwalk with their masterful combination of plagiarism, irritation and disappointingly misapplied talent, Asslick Arizona's Abigail Williams have hit paydirt. By combining a style of music that everyone's sick of, Gothenburg-flavoured breakdown-laden ‘deathcore', and a style of music that nobody liked to begin with, the symphonic necro-pop of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, they're able to reach new heights of underserved hype, whilst at the same time selling thousands upon thousands of badly conceived goffick t-shirts to idiots.

On top of that, whilst bands like Job For A Cowboy and Suicide Silence had the dignity to tour on the back on an EP that was myspaced to death, Abigail Williams have dick to show for it save this, the ‘tour EP' containing four songs that are available on their myspace and a demo, all rushed out ‘exclusively' for the UK audience.

Whether or not history will remember ‘Legend' as a sought-after gem trading sweaty hands for obscene prices or a shameless cash-in reviled for its laziness and transparent money-grabbing, only time will tell. However one thing is clear right now: songs like ‘Watchtower', sickeningly tight slices of studio-polished black metal ruined only by frankly moronic Tomas Lindburg ‘I FEEEEL MY >insert condition here<' moments and the most derivative chord progression since the last It Dies Today, show a band with phenomenal skill who have chosen to apply to a set of deeply cynical ends.

thats brutal

 

[sorceron]

thats brutal

this guy is obviously in another band ha

 

[Lee_B]

Did you see the bio for the guy who did the review?

You could say 'opinionated cunt' but I think he prefers 'Franz Kafka meeting Henry Rollins in a torrent of obscenity, sleaze and self-loathing.

haha. I'll bet there's a mirror in every room in his house

 

[Husker]

from this site http://www.montagpress.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1579&Itemid=40

Written by James
Friday, 06 October 2006
Abigail Williams - Legend (Tour EP)
Candlelight 2006

In their search for a way in which to eclipse the rest of the myspace fashion metal catwalk with their masterful combination of plagiarism, irritation and disappointingly misapplied talent, Asslick Arizona's Abigail Williams have hit paydirt. By combining a style of music that everyone's sick of, Gothenburg-flavoured breakdown-laden ‘deathcore', and a style of music that nobody liked to begin with, the symphonic necro-pop of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, they're able to reach new heights of underserved hype, whilst at the same time selling thousands upon thousands of badly conceived goffick t-shirts to idiots.

On top of that, whilst bands like Job For A Cowboy and Suicide Silence had the dignity to tour on the back on an EP that was myspaced to death, Abigail Williams have dick to show for it save this, the ‘tour EP' containing four songs that are available on their myspace and a demo, all rushed out ‘exclusively' for the UK audience.

Whether or not history will remember ‘Legend' as a sought-after gem trading sweaty hands for obscene prices or a shameless cash-in reviled for its laziness and transparent money-grabbing, only time will tell. However one thing is clear right now: songs like ‘Watchtower', sickeningly tight slices of studio-polished black metal ruined only by frankly moronic Tomas Lindburg ‘I FEEEEL MY >insert condition here<' moments and the most derivative chord progression since the last It Dies Today, show a band with phenomenal skill who have chosen to apply to a set of deeply cynical ends.

What a newb.

I looked at that reviewers picture and read his bio, anyways, pretty funny coming from a guy who likes six feet under (sorry 6fu fans).

 

[FuckYouIWantToDie]

i like how this review pretty much says nothing about our music. breakdown laden deathcore? what song has breakdowns? hah wtf. i mean, i don't really care about bad reviews but at least know what the fuck you are talking about

 

[sorceron]

how about those thousands upon thousands of shirts we are selling eh bjorn. ha

 

[KeithRT99]

that guy is a douche.

 

[omidi0]

Hitler haircuts??

its sounding alot like that idiot that
bitched about the "emo haircuts"
from the myspace photos...

too many retarded people in the world, thinking that their words actually mean somethingin this world.
it doesnt.

dumbass pricks.

they're just jealous.

 

[sorceron]

from Pivotal Rage Lite

Abigail Williams - Legend - added - December 5th, 2006
Reviewer: Paul Heroux



5/5

The long wait is finally over. Abigail William&#8217;s first recorded material since their demo Gallow Hill is finished, and what a masterpiece it is. Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, Abigail Williams is one of the premiere up and coming bands of 2006. They will more than just leave a mark in the music industry with their first EP, Legend. To those who are familiar with Abigail Williams, Legend is mainly their old work re-written. However, they managed to completely turn the songs around, transforming them into art in its most beautifully evil form. Abigail Williams is almost impossible to properly categorize, as their music includes a little bit of everything, but for now they are calling themselves &#8220;symphonic melodic death metal.&#8221;

Legend is a force strong enough to rip your head off and suck your innards out, from beginning to end. The drumming is absolutely phenomenal and possibly Zach Gibson&#8217;s best performance to date. Ken Sorceron pulls off the vocal performance of the year with his black metal screeching and almost in-human, spine chilling high pitched screams. No words can properly praise just how amazing the guitar work is here. There are few solos and no unnecessary over the top riffs; just perfectly-written kick ass pieces guaranteed to blow your brains out. Fantastically composed bass lines sync up perfectly with the guitars, which are further complimented by the keyboards to create a sound sure to bring even the strong hearted to their knees. Bottom line, no metal fan should live without Legend in their library. It is perfect for a fan of any genre of metal and a very promising look to their first full length album coming sometime during 2007.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

I just heard Legend ep and its fucking great!!! I was impressed!!! You guys earned another new fan and Im looking forward to the show in Cleveland.

 

[ridepark]

this guy is obviously in another band ha

well...he is obviously in a bad band then....he was way to jealous when he wrote this. what a hateful bastard

 

[finnafinna]

the birth of "blackcore" haha buts its totally true

 

[circus_brimstone]

from Vampire Magazine

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS (USA)
LEGEND Candlelight Records
Written by Noah Richards on Monday 01 January, 2007. Last updated on Monday 01 January, 2007

Abigail Williams has been making a peculiar stir with their debut EP 'Legend' in the past few months. I've witnessed a rather high degree of polarization between those that would detract it for its ostensibly mainstream influences and those that would uphold it for its originality and distinct sense of melody. I fall somewhere in the middle, though leaning towards the latter: while I think the claims of utter uniqueness and brilliance are rather overblown, there's no doubt that 'Legend' is still a very fine and in some ways original piece that would appeal to numerous metalheads, from mainstream to utter underground.

For the few of you that haven't heard what all the fuss is about, Abigail Williams plays what is essentially a mix of metalcore and symphonic black metal. Now, while such a concept almost certainly inspires waves of revulsion in many of you readers, let me assure you that such a combination is done with a level of taste that I would certainly not have expected. While traits of both genres are present, they are used well in conjunction with the other. For instance, 'breakdowns' are still part of Abigail Williams' music, such as midway through opener 'From A Buried Heart', it fuses with black metal in a unique, tasteful, and compelling way, which alone is certainly enough to make this EP a worthwhile exploration to the metal listener.

The inclusion of symphonic elements is a welcome addition to the snowy and organic atmosphere reminiscent of Pacific Rim-area black metal artists such as Wolves In The Throne Room. There is a high degree of skill and professionalism on 'Legend', both in musicianship and production. In fact, I'd go as far to say that there are few perceptible flaws with this release: the songwriting is solid and ever-changing, but not in meaningless fashion. Perhaps the only real complaints are a slight lack of differentiation between the songs, but even this isn't a true issue because no song sticks out as a sore thumb in being particularly poor. No, Abigail Williams has certainly crafted a very solid, intriguing EP.

Granted, I'm sure that none of my persistence will dissuade many metalheads from the opinion that such a fusion of genres would be impossible to create without grotesquely insulting either or both of the musical parents. But for those who are willing to step outside the box a little and explore, 'Legend' is most certainly a release to look into.

 

[circus_brimstone]

from Metal Archives

Quite possibly the greatest black metal album EVER - 0%

Written by LordAes on January 7th, 2007

The above is indeed true if you replace "greatest" with "most embarassing", "black metal" with "horrendously shitty metalcore faggotry" and, of course, "Quite possibly" with "Without a doubt". To say that this band is pathetic would be like saying that The Berzerker's drummer is simply just fast. I don't even know where to start describing this horrible excuse for an EP - it has absolutely no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. This ranks up there with Black Chariot (you know, the band of 15 year olds where they took "grim" pictures outside one their houses and Halloween decorations were plainly visible) in terms of shittiness. If the fact that their bassist (now out of the band for some reason) is from Job For A Cowboy, and that the drummer is from The Black Dahlia Murder isn't enough reason in itself not to listen to this shit, how about the fact that the pianist (what the fuck?) Ashley Jurgemeyer is a self-proclaimed emo (she said "scene girl"...)? Holy fucking shit... Anyway.

This EP starts out with the track "In A Buried Heart", and, as the name implies, it is a disaster right from the beginning, with lots of annoying tremolo picking that fades back and forth to pointless displays of technical "talent". But that's what we've all come to know and love from MySpace bands, isn't it? Lots of annoying chugga chugga riffing, an annoying faux-symphonic sound by Miss Emo, and some decent drumming. The song, I suppose, is supposed to sound dirge-like. This is only apparent if you concentrate very hard on it. It fails. Miserably.

Tracks 2 and 3, "Like Carrion Birds" and "The Conqueror Wyrm", aren't bad music so much as they are annoying as hell. And they just plain suck, for that matter. The piano inevitably always sounds thrown in simply for the sake of being able to call the music "symphonic" or even "progressive", which this certainly is not. Think Emperor, mixed with Draconian, with a hint of Marduk at times, topped off with lots and lots and lots of annoying Killswitch Engage and Black Dahlia Murder stupidity, thus killing anything the band may have had going for them if any of the members did not have rather extreme cases of Down Syndrome.

Watchtower is a boring track, to say the least. The songwriting, as always, is uninspired, but with this song Abigail Williams has managed to redefine the word "boring". The stupid attempt at sounding symphonic is here yet again, as are the boring drums, and the lame guitar repetition, but what really takes this track to new levels of patheticness is the fucking vocalist. He's incredibly annoying throughout the entire album, yes, but hearing him in Watchtower just makes me want to stab my fucking ears out. I can't stress this enough - he is so very very VERY bad. There are no words to accurately describe how lame he sounds. All. The. Time. But with a stage name like Ken Sorceron, you really shouldn't be expecting much, I suppose...

This website mentions a 5th track "Procession of the Aeons (Exclusive Demo)", which my copy of the EP, for some reason, does not have on it. As crushing as it is to me to miss an exclusive demo (what the hell is that, anyway?), especially one good enough to convince the other reviewer to score this EP an 88%, I'm quite sure that it sucks beyond reason just like the rest of Legend does.

I do not recommend this piece of shit to anyone at all. These shitheads make even Slipknot seem good.

0/100 - worst album ever.

 

[circus_brimstone]

from UltimateMetal

Abigail Williams – Legend EP
Candlelight Records – CDL324 – January 23rd, 2007
By Jason Jordan

For better or worse, it’s become acceptable to place the word “core” after a genre when attempting to classify a band’s sound, and in the case of Phoenix, Arizona’s Abigail Williams, blackcore is actually an apt description. While AW’s claim to fame, thus far anyway, is their tie to the now-defunct Vehemence, it’s easy to tell the two apart since Legend is part black metal and part metalcore, with a smidgen of death metal thrown in for good measure. But, due to several factors, a significant portion of the EP sounds like Cradle of Filth, which does get distracting.

Instrumentally speaking, the players involved are well-versed and quite accomplished, even if line-up changes abound with Phoenix-rooted groups like this. Out of the five tracks on the EP, the bland ‘From a Buried Heart’ and the overanxious demo ‘Procession of the Aeons’ are the most inconsequential. The others, however, are going to please those who enjoy Cradle of Filth/Dimmu Borgir-esque keyboards and Dani Filth-like screams wrapped in a metalcore shell. I can envision songs such as ‘Like Carrion Birds,’ ‘The Conqueror Wyrm,’ and ‘Watchtower’ becoming favorites of people who secretly listen to CoF as a guilty pleasure.

It’ll be interesting to see what Abigail Williams make of studio time with James Murphy (ex-Death, ex-Testament), and I’m optimistic that their full-length will be superior to Legend. Despite the wallet-friendly price tag, I’m betting most can and should wait for the proper debut. That Ken Sorceron is one sexy bitch, though.

Official Abigail Williams Forum
Official Abigail Williams Website
Official Candlelight Records Website


Hope I was fair. :Smokin:

 

[Alteredmindeath]

from Metal Archives

Quite possibly the greatest black metal album EVER - 0%

Written by LordAes on January 7th, 2007

The above is indeed true if you replace "greatest" with "most embarassing", "black metal" with "horrendously shitty metalcore faggotry" and, of course, "Quite possibly" with "Without a doubt". To say that this band is pathetic would be like saying that The Berzerker's drummer is simply just fast. I don't even know where to start describing this horrible excuse for an EP - it has absolutely no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. This ranks up there with Black Chariot (you know, the band of 15 year olds where they took "grim" pictures outside one their houses and Halloween decorations were plainly visible) in terms of shittiness. If the fact that their bassist (now out of the band for some reason) is from Job For A Cowboy, and that the drummer is from The Black Dahlia Murder isn't enough reason in itself not to listen to this shit, how about the fact that the pianist (what the fuck?) Ashley Jurgemeyer is a self-proclaimed emo (she said "scene girl"...)? Holy fucking shit... Anyway.

This EP starts out with the track "In A Buried Heart", and, as the name implies, it is a disaster right from the beginning, with lots of annoying tremolo picking that fades back and forth to pointless displays of technical "talent". But that's what we've all come to know and love from MySpace bands, isn't it? Lots of annoying chugga chugga riffing, an annoying faux-symphonic sound by Miss Emo, and some decent drumming. The song, I suppose, is supposed to sound dirge-like. This is only apparent if you concentrate very hard on it. It fails. Miserably.

Tracks 2 and 3, "Like Carrion Birds" and "The Conqueror Wyrm", aren't bad music so much as they are annoying as hell. And they just plain suck, for that matter. The piano inevitably always sounds thrown in simply for the sake of being able to call the music "symphonic" or even "progressive", which this certainly is not. Think Emperor, mixed with Draconian, with a hint of Marduk at times, topped off with lots and lots and lots of annoying Killswitch Engage and Black Dahlia Murder stupidity, thus killing anything the band may have had going for them if any of the members did not have rather extreme cases of Down Syndrome.

Watchtower is a boring track, to say the least. The songwriting, as always, is uninspired, but with this song Abigail Williams has managed to redefine the word "boring". The stupid attempt at sounding symphonic is here yet again, as are the boring drums, and the lame guitar repetition, but what really takes this track to new levels of patheticness is the fucking vocalist. He's incredibly annoying throughout the entire album, yes, but hearing him in Watchtower just makes me want to stab my fucking ears out. I can't stress this enough - he is so very very VERY bad. There are no words to accurately describe how lame he sounds. All. The. Time. But with a stage name like Ken Sorceron, you really shouldn't be expecting much, I suppose...

This website mentions a 5th track "Procession of the Aeons (Exclusive Demo)", which my copy of the EP, for some reason, does not have on it. As crushing as it is to me to miss an exclusive demo (what the hell is that, anyway?), especially one good enough to convince the other reviewer to score this EP an 88%, I'm quite sure that it sucks beyond reason just like the rest of Legend does.

I do not recommend this piece of shit to anyone at all. These shitheads make even Slipknot seem good.

0/100 - worst album ever.

IDIOT REVIEWER^ must be 12 or a 9 year old going through her period for the first time.

 

[circus_brimstone]

IDIOT REVIEWER^ must be 12 or a 9 year old going through her period for the first time.

I figured posting it would be good for a laugh, and so that the AW guys + girl know it exists.