REVIEW: ABDUCTION’s Existentialismus – “That Cover Art Is Wicked”

(Candlelight)

Rating: 7.5

First off – that cover art is wicked. Portrays a mysterious vibe of solitude, almost like this man is meditating, but losing his humanity. The tongue twister title, Existentialismus, is the fifth full-length from UK’s Abduction and second under the Candlelight banner.

A|V is the mastermind and was the lone wielder of instruments on previous albums, however a full lineup backs him up on this new opus and it adds a tremendous layer of technical intensity.

Coming in at 6 tracks at 45 minutes, the Derbyshire crew produces feverish black metal filled with hopelessness as A|V weaves his lyrics mirroring the past, present, and future painting humanity on the brink of oblivion.

He stretches his vocals with rasping growls, ghoulish shrieks and at times a Morean-like ghoulish croak while also incorporating questionable cleans that have an almost choral effect on them.

The songs are blisteringly heavy with doses of melodicism and nightmarish atmosphere. 11 minute closer “Vomiting At Baalbek” is pure chaos of riff explosions, punishing drums, and a blazing up-tempo melody that is bleak and rips the spirit of hope. Opener “A Legacy Of Sores” (great title!) concentrates on pummeling with raucous riffs, A|V’s eye-popping vocals, and intense atmosphere.

Abduction rolls when they hit those pockets of rhythm and just riff you to death like in “Blau ist die Farbe der Ewigkeit” – the shortest cut at 5:30 balancing extremity and a huge ascending guitar riff.

Sometimes promising ideas are derailed by odd choices like the inclusion of audio clips in the beginning and end in “Truth Is As Sharp A Sword As Vengeance” and strained cleans in an otherwise monster of a track. Depressive doom takes on “Razors Of Occam” and the “holy” clean vocals to accompany them are interesting before the descent into blastbeating malice.

A|V is taking chances with his band and while some of the risks don’t pay off, he is commended for branching the blackness to new territories with his voice. This is still quality black metal and worth searching out.