The tempestuous history of Abigail Williams has done little to dull their edge. The onetime metalcore outfit has had more line-up changes than Spinal Tap over the past five years and yet they still manage to come back every time. This marks their fourth official release and 2nd full length, and as with their previous LP there are no signs of the metalcore sound from which they were spawned. Now thoroughly entrenched in the camp of symphonic black metal, the band’s releases have been progressively getting more adept with every new offering.
The most marked difference between this and the band’s previous album ‘In The Shadow of a Thousand Suns’ is the lighter use of keyboards. The minimal symphonic additions give this a more raw and fresh sound that doesn’t get caught up in the over-reliance on the keyboard to build the atmosphere in the songs.
The opening track ‘Hope The Great Betrayal’ gets things off to a suitably catchy start with a strong riff, heavy keyboards and atmospheric samples. It immediately feels like the old Hecate Enthroned blueprint given a serious update. ‘Final Destiny of the Gods’ has more of an Immortal kind of feel with its no-nonsense barrage of guitars and drums. ‘The Mysteries that Bind the Flesh’ however, simultaneously draws from the early chapters of Dimmu Borgir as well as the recent savagery of 1349 for a very interesting sound. ‘Infernal Divide’ exhibits some proggier influences behind its makeup, (Diabolical Masquerade without the frills springs to mind), the result of which is a very big and catchy track. ‘In Death Comes the Great Silence’ is another prolonged guitar and drum assault on the senses but with some very slick riffs to help it on its way. ‘What Hell Awaits Me’ is going for the epic tag in a big way - the keyboards come back with a vengeance and all the band’s hooks are aimed squarely at their listeners. The penultimate track ‘An Echo In Our Legends’ has those Immortal and 1349 inclinations again with its thunderous riff and demonic vocals propelling the song forward. The album finishes on ‘Malediction’ which leads on nicely from the previous track with some frantic chugging guitars that suddenly turn into the classic black metal sound which gives it a very fresh feel.
On the whole, this is a strong offering from a band that is always in the situation where it needs to prove it is better with the new line-up rather than the old one. Some of the keyboards and samples used on the album do sound a little dated though, but this is no bad thing as they don’t really take anything from Peter Tagtgren’s fantastic production work. Definitely worth a listen.
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