Abraham

An Eye On The Universe

Written by: PP on 24/03/2011 21:51:56

The differences between post-metal and sludge metal are often miniscule. Both styles usually tend to sound murky, gloomy and misanthropic, while adding a layer of distant melody somewhere in between. Common to both is also the tendency to utilize lengthy songs to emit progressive vibes through brooding and open-ended riffage, usually resulting into crushing barrages of heavy riffs that form the heart and soul of each song. Abraham, hailing from Switzerland, fall somewhere right in between the two genres on their new album "An Eye On The Universe", merging together the melodic undertones of the former and the muddy, down-tuned overlay of the former in the hopes of achieving a hybrid sound that combines melody with a brutally heavy soundscape.

For the most part, however, Abraham stick to post-metal, just from the more extreme and sludgier end of the genre. Cult Of Luna and early Poison The Well have certainly been of influence here, where the progressive soundscapes are rooting from the former and the slight post-hardcore vibes from the latter. Local readers will also recognize parallels to The Psyke Project's "Apnea" occasionally, but especially during "The Statues", where Abraham use a similar chaos-based, but yet structured approach to writing desperate, miserable, gray, gloomy metal music designed to provoke an emotional response in the listener despite the ugly premise. It's songs like this one and "Saloon Bizarre" that showcase the true potential behind Abraham, rendering an uncompromising onslaught of a response to any of the -core genres, an informational signpost which states that metal was never supposed to rely on melodies as its main carrying force, but rather as a fortifying force for a strong, passionate expression through heavy guitars and pounding drums.

In this sense, Abraham accomplish what they set out to do on the album. Their only problem is inconsistency. In between the brilliance of the tracks that I mentioned already, or "Hellsinki" for example, there are a few anonymous, metallic pieces that don't stick out as much. These should be ironed out for a more uniform expression, one that would boost Abraham to a higher level from where they are now. Lots of potential here, but stick to the highlights.

Download: The Statues, Saloon Bizarre, Hellsinki
For the fans of: Cult Of Luna, The Psyke Project, Kruger, early Poison The Well
Listen: Myspace

Release date 28.02.2011
Pelagic Records

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