D_LETION

Abigail's Ghost ? D_Letion 3 stars

A sophomore slump.

The band quickly takes a new step in their fresh career, and this goes to a heavier one. It doesn't come off to well as the musicians just sound like they are just keeping themselves busy rather than focusing on their strengths which is writing dynamic songs and flushing out those smoothing passages between the soft and loud parts. The vocals took a change for the worse of well, taking perhaps a more monotonous sound which can never be a good thing. What as surely lacking here is the melodies, the backbone of their first album. There is nothing memorable at all on this disc which is why it was just barely 'good'. Their energy was the only thing that made this album vibrant and worth listening to.

I'll keep this one in the shadows of the debut.

When trying to work out a unique style ABIGAIL'S GHOST have made a step forward. With intent or not - the predecessor album 'Selling Insincerity' sounds like provided with obvious Porcupine Tree references (well done though). This time you will be aware of a heavier tendency as immediately documented with the title track for example. The songs once more are made up with sense of melody - the band's preference without a doubt besides Joshua Theriot's voice. They are mixing up Art Rock and Prog Metal elements tending to the latter with a powerful rhythm work and hard riffing guitars appearing.

Romantique Life could be mentioned as another suitable example. The song consists of some calm melodic parts but is mainly contributed with a very heavy behaviour. The band's emphasis is on the compact guitar work where instrumental solos as rare to find. And you will only detect decent keyboard/synth contributions. With the balladesque exceptions Sneak Peak and Grave Concerns ABIGAIL'S GHOST are consequently alternating between mellow and heavy, sometimes even crushing sections within the songs. The longest track Annie Enemy can be noted as a highlight here.

'D_letion' is not that spectacular but offering proper, more prog metal oriented songs anyhow which are enjoyable for sure. Fans of music made by Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Dream Theater resp. other melodic prog metal bands won't fail when looking into this - 3.5 stars.

ABIGAIL'S GHOST have traded in the lush synths and atmosphere for a heavier more mainstream sound, and I for one am disappointed. I was glad to see ProgBagel mention that the vocals had taken a turn for the worse because I feel the same way. I just felt their debut was a special album regardless of the PORCUPINE TREE-like moments. I like heavy music but this fails to captivate me overall.These guys can play though. Actually the drummer and rhythm guitarist are attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the lead guitarist / vocalist has already graduated from this prestigious school.

"D-letion" is a top three track. Very heavy and thick guitar intro before the drums come crashing in. Vocals before a minute. I like the chorus.Killer sound before 3 1/2 minutes and check out the guitar and drums that follow. Excellent opening track. "Black Lace" has this catchy beat with vocals. I like the spacey keys and we get some power at times. "Romantique" has this heavy duty intro before settling with some good bass as the vocals join in. It picks up during the chorus and I like the finish to this one. "Plastik Soul" has this tribal-like drumming throughout and some heaviness that comes and goes. It pretty much stays during the second half. "Cinder Tin" has a nice dark sound to it. This is mid-paced and drum led. Heavy 3 1/2 minutes in and I like the guitar solo a minute later.

"Gemni Man" is a mellow tune with reserved vocals until the guitar makes some noise before 2 minutes. A nice guitar solo late as well. "Sneak Peek" has these almost whispered vocals with keys and light drums. A tasteful guitar solo late. "Visceral" is another mellow song but it gets fuller after 1 1/2 minutes. Keys and atmosphere a minute later (yay) before it kicks in with guitar. Acoustic guitar to end it. "Easy A" is another laid back track. It kicks in at 2 1/2 minutes and I like the synths. "Annie Enemy" is by far the best track on here. Acoustic guitar to open as soft vocals come in. It kicks in around a minute and the contrasts continue. An outburst of heaviness 5 minutes in and before 7 minutes to end it. "Grave Concerns" features acoustic guitar and reserved vocals.

So lots to like here but the vocals hinder my enjoyment at times and I miss the atmosphere.

d_letion is the second album by US act Abigail's Ghost, following two years after their initial outing. It's a pritty grim production, where the songs generally comes across as dark and bleak in mood and style. Musically the foundation this time around seems to be modern hard rock, with elements from progressive metal and indie rock blended in - with some subtle space-tinged synths often residing in the back of the mix.

The ingredients are intriguing, but I did find the compositions lacking. Both the harder hitting ventures and the more ballad-oriented material comes across as predictable, the compositions more or less follows a very similar structure and only on a few occasions subtle additions to the proceedings manage to conjure themes or atmospheres out of the ordinary.

There's a few strong tracks to take note of, title track d_letion and the creepy ballad Sneek Peak first and foremost, but apart from these songs the highlights are few and far between. Good songs for the most part, but lacking the finer details to make them great and quite a bit off from perfection.

Less Porcupine Tree ...

This second album moves a bit from the debut one in its similarities with Porcupine Tree even though the basic style remains intact. I think the band has taken its musical root from the like of Porcupine Tree and they cannot move away that much from its root. No harm with it, but it bears risk for those who have been familiar with Porcupine Tree kind of music. But I can guarantee whatever your musical taste is, you will most likely love the music contains here in this album. There is nothing that you can deny in terms of music mood, for example. What I mean is that you would love the upbeat tempo and mood delivered by this album.

The opening track, who happens to be the album title "D_Letion" (5:13) is an upbeat tempo music with its dominant rifffs and drumwork. It flows nicely to "Black Lace" (4:16) in similar vein. Oh yes, you will love the third track which opens with uplifting guitar riffs that make "Romantique Life" (4:34) a dynamic tune - especially combined with tight basslines and poerful vocal work. At least you would like the combined bass guitar and drumwork. You might like the interlude part that starts on minute 2:40 which contains heavy guitar riffs, tight basslines with dybanic drumming and followed stunning (even though short) guitar work.

When the music enters track 4 "Plastik Soul" (5:47) I find it very entertaining listening to the opening dynamic drums with good basslines followed with vocal work. Oh man .. I believe you would love this track very much because it contains very dynamic drumming and nice melody. The band then tones down their music with "Cinder Tin" (5:39) followed with heavy blast of music on the next track "Gemini Man" (4:18) even though the opening is slow. "Sneak Peek" (5:47) is a slow rock composition that reminds me to bands like Pineapple Thief or RPWL."Annie Enemy" (7:20) is also another good track followed with a concluding track "Grave Concerns" (2:25) with its acoustic setting.

Overall, this is a very good album and will satisfy many people with different musical taste. Composition-wise, it's more matured than the debut album. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

...and shazam! The music suddenly sound less like Steven Wilson's (proudly presented, spectacular band) PT and more like what, Hard Rock with a twist ? But don't take that statement wrong, PT's spirit is still strong in this one and lurks around, sometimes more (Cinder Tin - what PT song does it remind to you, eh?), sometimes less (as is the case with Gemini Man). However (there is always a "however" of some kind), as I am sure previous reviewers didn't forget to mention - there is not much of a strong songs. Most of them are good, but mostly it's just that - good. It's a good listen worth here of 3 stars or so.

Sophomore Slump? Strangely, you won't find it here.

One of my pet peeves in any music is quality. It needs to sound professional, even if you're not. It makes a very good first and lasting impression. Luckily, firing up the title track of Abigail's Ghost shows the improvement. Not just in quality, but also, amazingly, in songwriting. Their heavy side of music gives them a slight advantage over, say, Porcupine Tree while keeping their songs short and sweet. Problem was, they all tended to sound the same. Yet immediately, the guitars are showcased, the drummer gets a few fills, a more memorable chorus shows up and the change of pace and direction is a bit swifter.

Things are looking up.

Then once "Black Lace" starts up, you instantly think "Oh no, I've accidentally bought another Porcupine Tree record again." But you'd be wrong, because Josh Theriot sings differently this time. He doesn't just drone and moan like on "Selling Insincerity". He sings with a purpose, with a bit of a lift and a slight swing in the beat. In most music of this type, the beat sits back, in a lazy, droning feel. Now, it's more uptight, the drums are ahead of the beat. It grooves, it moves, it's got life to it, but it doesn't stray from the dark, heavy sound they were best known for on "Selling Insincerity".

Dare I even say, it's quite catchy too...

And it seems to get better. "Romantique Life" jars your gritted teeth with more heavy guitars. The lyrics have more life. The bass line is moving more. The drums are constant, and yet always one step ahead. "Plastik Soul" starts off with a "Jungle Book"-esque swing pattern on the floor toms and drums. It just doesn't seem realistic. Could these guys have totally avoided that stumble in the road?

Well, not entirely. "Cinder Tin", "Gemini Man", "Sneak Peak", "Visceral" all echo the slow, atmospheric utterances of "Selling Insincerity". Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was just hoping they'd continue to add their own unique touch to these tracks. Which they haven't.

Then, "Easy A" comes on. And for some reason, which I can't really fathom... I like it. I really, really like it. The lyrics sit front and center here, and yet the lush guitar plucks followed by the BTBAM-esque blips of heavy licks give it a spark, a breath of fresh air that, nine times out of ten, would have ended in a slow, dying, wilted fashion. But instead, it has a unique sound that separates it from the others.

A sign that Abigail's Ghost maybe, just maybe, MAYBE have started to carve out their own sound. Even "Annie Enemy", the biggest bruiser of them all, sounds unlike their other songs. Now, it's a bit reminiscent of Oceansize and Riverside, but still, it keeps the emotion, without losing the listener. The heavy guitars are there, the change in pace is better, the prog elements sharper, the lyrics stronger. Now.... I'm starting to be impressed.

VERDICT: Forget the fact that "Grave Concerns" is another Porcupine Tree-esque ballad. This album is flat-out a massive, MASSIVE improvement from their debut, bar none. Yes, there were a few songs on "Selling Insincerity" that were enjoyable, but there was no unique sound to them. Nothing that would really tempt me to listening to that album again. The quality of the record just wasn't there, the motion just seemed lifeless, the tempo slow. The big heavy guitars over the slow, dark melodies felt like inebriated athletes, big, hulking monstrosities with reaction times so delayed, you'd mistake them for drug addicts.

But now, they're fit, spritely, up to snuff. The pace is there, the vocals have more life, the musicianship is fantastic, some of the songs are catchy, the prog is still there, the time signature changes are lightning fast, crisp and subtle. "Ah", you say, "but what if I liked some of their dreary songs off their past album?" Good news, as James May would say. You have some of those on this album here. Plain and simple, you have the progression of a young band carving out their own sound with a few nods to their debut to please their fans as well. This is hands down much, much, MUCH better than "Selling Insincerity".

*puts flame retardant suit on*

FAVORITES: "D_Letion", "Black Lace", "Easy A", "Annie Enemy"