NACHTHYMNEN (FROM THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM)

I am a bit surprised.

Abigor actually tried to be a bit more clever on their second album than just follow the Mayhem/ Burzum band wagon and then jump onto it. This album has a lot of opera elements. It seems like that was what they were trying on this album; create a sort of a black metal opera. That also include some female vocals. OK, female vocals with folk rock singing. But still.......... smart thinking !

Unfortunate, the sound is demo-tape quality. That is why I have to remove one star from my rating. Some of the songs are also pretty bad. But most of this album is actually good. Well, it could had been good if they had put some money into the studio recording. Or maybe they forgot to do a proper mastering. Yes, I have done the same mistake myself. Not a good idea.

For those who wonder: This is still brutal black metal aka 1995. But they have incorporated some female vocals and epic opera elements here. I applaud that, but not the sound. I am surprised and I wonder why their subsequent albums did not follow the same path. Not bad.

2.75 stars

Abigor's second album finds them taking an intriguing, almost operatic approach to black metal which stands in stark contrast to the symphonic synthesiser-supported style that was explored at around the same time by the likes of Dimmu Borgir. Rather than broadening the variety of instruments used, Abigor instead added complexity to their music by crafting intricate riffs which seem simple enough to a casual listener but when you direct your attention to them they prove to have plenty of hidden depths. Gloriously atmospheric, as the best black metal should be, the album shows a band who have that rare combination of qualities: a willingness to experiment on the one hand and a refusal to be show-offy about it on the other hand, though this is a rough sketch of a style others would take further.