Published 24 September 2010 on voltagemedia.com.au
[This was the first published Australian review of ABRAHADABRA, an achievement which I am extremely proud of]
THE FIRST IMPRESSION
1. Xibir
This is an eloquently abstract orchestral piece that seems very fitting in a cinematic sense. It features Lovecraft-esque chanting and some minimalist percussion that allows one to get lost in the accents it places on the melodies. Although they could've come straight in with crushing heaviness, this track is cleverly placed and well executed.
2. Born Treacherous
What's this...Dimmu Borgir is groovy? The drum rhythms here are utterly intense, and soaring above the standard Dimmu vocals and guitars is a haunting choir. Although this is completely different to everything they've done before, I'm beginning to think that the eerie choir should become a standard. This song is quite a surprise, as I began listening to this album thinking it would be a total failure.
3. Gateways
I think everyone's heard this song by now. Gateways is more akin to the Dimmu we know, but with rawer symphonic and a slightly better production. The only thing that really makes me want to stop listening to this song immediately is the female vocals that seem to rip through the mid-section of the song. I like some female vocalists, but this is too much. She sounds like she's passing a kidney stone with razor-sharp appendages protruding from it. I'm sure it will grow on me, but my first impression isn't very high. That being said, towards the end we get a little glimpse of her cleaner vocals, which are quite beautiful and provide a welcomed contrast to Shagrath's singing.
4. Chess With the Abyss
I can imagine this song being played in a chess game with Satan himself. Silenoz rips through some truly great riffs, but unfortunately his guitar is lost in the mix to the orchestra. I get the feeling that they're overcompensating for the absence of Mustis with the somewhat over-the-top symphonies. This track gets a little boring towards the end. It's a little bit filler-heavy, to be brutally honest.
5. Dimmu Borgir
Now THIS is really something! This is like Dimmu Borgir's autobiography on record. It has a grandiose, epic feeling to it, accompanied by some very well-placed choir vocals. I'm 5 tracks in and this is shaping up to be the best track on the album so far. This IS Dimmu Borgir - a very pleasing balance between extremity and beauty, a contrast that I think they have always believed in and based their music on. What came as a surprise was the guitar solo at roughly 2 minutes in. This song is Dimmu Borgir at their best.
6. Ritualist
And now, we hear Snowy Shaw's contribution of clean vocals...I swear he sounds like a cross between a Japanese pop singer and a power metal vocalist. It's not half bad by any means, but it just doesn't sit right with the music. Apart from that minor drawback, the song structure seems to have evolved here, and the track pushes itself steadily along at a nice, fast pace. No complaints from me!
7. The Demiurge Molecule
This is some interesting drumming. It's almost tech-death worthy in the loosest meaning of the genre. This song grinds along at a slower pace to the rest of the album. It's almost the Puritania of Abrahadabra. I look forward to drive testing this track, as the rhythms and the sinister feel to it will have me lost on the road for five and a half minutes.
8. A Jewel Traced Through Coal
This track is utterly evil in a way that only Dimmu Borgir know how to do. I wish I knew the lyrics to this one, because I would definitely be singing along. One thing that I find is being brought out more and more in this album is Daray's drumming. Now, we've heard him play on such albums as Vader's Impressions in Blood and Vesania's God the Lux. It's clear there is a lot of dynamic to his drumming, which really fits with the also dynamic playing of the other musicians. No respect to their former drummers, but the previous drummers (Hellhammer aside) gave an almost half-hearted performance in comparison to Daray.
9. Renewal
If this song was the first on the album, it would've set the mood completely differently. Silenoz's solos in the beginning are very NWOBHM-esque, and then all of a suddenly all of the instruments melt in together, overlapped by a raspy, malevolently rhythmic vocal performance by our main man Shagrath. This little interlude lasts for only a moment before we get back into the "orchestra and extremity" formula which, by this point, can seem a little worn out. Something that is worth noting is that their sense of melody has progressed, and this album is a testament to that. I sincerely hope it continues to progress on future albums.
10. Endings and Continuations
We appear to be at the end. I would feel a little sad at this thought, but I know that I can listen to this album again. I wish I knew the story and theme behind this album, as Shagrath's spooky narration might make a little more sense with a little prior knowledge. At the end of Abrahadabra, the pace does not slow down. We are still subjected to some truly extreme metal with that orchestral touch. This is a real head banger of a song. Halfway through, we hear the clean vocals again, albeit this time they sound like they belong and settle with the music a bit better. Although he has nothing on Vortex, Snowy is quite the vocalist and his clean singing really makes this song and finish the album on a high note.
THE FINAL WORD
This album is quite a surprise from a band who have recently ejected two very talented musicians (and also an important part of the overall makeup of the band). While I would rather have just heard 10 tracks in a similar vein to what they were doing a decade ago, I can't say I'm disappointed with the results.
This is quite a different direction from our Norwegian friends, and it's not an unwelcome one. While I would hesitate to even remotely classify this as black metal, one cannot deny that it Dimmu Borgir have become a mainstay in the international extreme metal scene, and this album will please their fans who have been biting their fingernails for the last three years, not-so patiently awaiting their next icy cold hit.
Although this will also alienate some of their fan base, they have taken an extremely risky leap of faith and pulled it off well (but not necessarily with flying colors). Listening to this album has made me very excited to see how it transfers to a live setting when they tear the audience up at Soundwave next year.
If all goes well, Dimmu Borgir's next album will be a true return to form that will incorporate the areas they have explored on this album into their previous sound, creating something that I can only imagine will blow my fucking head off. All hail Dimmu Borgir, still kicking it in 2010!
Album: ABRAHADABRA
Year: 2010
Track List:
01. Xibir
02. Born Treacherous
03. Gateways
04. Chess With The Abyss
05. Dimmu Borgir
06. Ritualist
07. The Demiurge Molecule
08. A Jewel Traced Through Coal
09. Renewal
10. Endings And Continuations
Available from Riot Entertainment 1st October 2010 - http://www.riotact.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment