ILLUMINATE THE PATH

Breathe Create Beauty - This is a strong introductory track, definitely sets the vibe for the album to come. It's an excellent opener as a short but well written piece. It feels triumphant and reflective, ducking me in and making me want to hear more.

Abode of a God - The intro riff is awesome, and that bass line is super cool. Throughout the song, the orchestration and piano feels very tasteful. They add to the riffs without taking up too much space. Additionally, the vocals are on point; they are a perfect mix of understandable and gravely. All of the arpeggio riffs are well composed, not feeling needlessly complex with interesting harmonies happening underneath. The clean vocals are pretty good as well. My only nitpick is that the whole song is constructed around almost exclusively arpeggio riffs, and although they're good I found myself somewhat wishing there was more variety.

Drop This Planet of Dust - I really appreciate the super heavy opening riff, and the keyboard solo shortly after is really fun. I think this whole intro shows that An Abstract Illusion knows exactly what kind of sound they want to cultivate. This whole song just feels good. I appreciate how concise it is; the sections flow together very well. It is all complemented nicely by a great vocal performance, both growls and cleans. I think the song is a great mix of heaviness and atmosphere.

Illuminate the Path - It has a pretty slow intro, but I enjoy it. It builds into a great verse section. I think it isn't quite as immediately compelling as the other two full tracks so far, but its riffs are still very strong. I am surprised how unique each riff feels. I mean, all the riffs feel distinct enough that I think I could easily identify which one came from what song. I'm a big fan of the use of keyboards on this song. Finally, this song has a perfectly proggy outro, one worthy of the progressive death metal label. Also, I can't get over that bass tone, it fits so well.

Vakuum - I think the intro to this track has the first real guitar solo of the album, and it shreds. I think this one feels like the best demonstration so far of just how skilled all these musicians are. They are clearly putting a lot of intention into the structures of their songs. Almost every section hits perfectly and never sounds exactly like how you would expect it to, in the best way. The slow break in the middle wasn't my favorite, but I do appreciate as a whole how they are balancing the intensity of the album. As with the rest of the album so far, I did not predict where it was going. The epic outro with orchestra hits also caught me completely by surprise.

Talvatis - Definitely a major vibe shift. This song sounds like it could be off of a Porcupine Tree record, but I think it is very effective as an interlude track before the real epic comes next.

Skeletons of Light - Once again, a great use of keyboards on the intro. The trading solos about a third of the way through the song are all incredible. It doesn't feel like soloing just for the sake of it, but rather like each solo and ensuing section was really vital to the larger narrative of the piece. I've said it about other songs on this album, but it just flows together very well. It sounds like we're walking through a dark forest, on our way off to war, but with our loved ones at our sides. Or something. This to me feels like the true end of the album, and the final bits of this song support this idea. It is just so triumphant, there is really no better way to describe the final riffs.

That's the album, plus the fun cover at the end. Overall, this was a real treat to listen to. There was not a single dull moment, and every scream, solo, and breakdown felt completely earned. Ultimately, this is really good music, not much beyond that I can say. 8.5/10

"Illuminate The Path" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish progressive death metal act An Abstract Illusion. The album was independently released in July 2016. It follows the release of the August 2014 "Atonement Is Nigh" EP. An Abstract Illusion are down to a trio on "Illuminate The Path" and only lead vocalist/drummer Christian Bergl'nn, keyboard player/vocalist Robert Stenvall, and guitarist/bassist Karl Westerlund remain from the lineup who recorded the "Atonement Is Nigh" EP.

Stylistically the material on the 8 tracks, 69:42 minutes long album continues the atmospheric/progressive death metal style of the preceding EP. The keyboards are still very dominant in the soundscape but the growling and clean vocals also add to the sound when they appear. The guitars, bass, and drums more seldom take the frontseat and often function as backing to the keyboards and the vocals. There are exceptions though and it's not that you can't find strong riffs, beatiful leads- and harmonies, and powerful drumming on the album, but those instruments just aren't the focus of the music. Piano runs and epic and darkly symphonic keyboard atmospheres make "Illuminate The Path" a layered, busy, and massive listen. When you discuss progressive death metal it's always Opeth which comes up first, but An Abstract Illusion sounds only very little like Opeth. Instead I'd look towards the Danes in Iotunn but add more keyboards and a less extreme edge.

Most tracks are long and the album is a continuously adventurous listen. Three tracks exceed 10 minutes in length, "Skeletons of Light" being the longest featuring a 16:20 minutes long playing time. The quality is high for the duration of the album and as "Illuminate The Path" features high level musical performances, and a clear, professional, and detailed sound production it's upon conclusion a high quality debut album from An Abstract Illusion. It's maybe a bit too polished and lacks some bite/rawness, but if you enjoy atmospheric/melodic progressive death metal in the more polished (less brutal and gritty) end of the scale, "Illuminate The Path" could be right down your alley. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).