Following their explosive 2022 album, Black Blood, Abduction have returned with arguably their most emotionally complex and personal recording to date—Existentialismus.
While black metal can often pigeonhole itself, trying to claw back the raw spirit of its earliest iterations, there are bands at the forefront that skilfully balance nostalgia while evolving into something more complex and immersive. Take, for instance, the album’s opening track, “A Legacy of Sores”—the fact that this has been recorded for the first time as a full band certainly adds a new level of intensity to the delivery.
“Pyramidia Liberi” follows with a plethora of soundscapes, showcasing the band’s willingness to push their boundaries even further with a furious yet darkly atmospheric flair. The album’s crowning glory, “Truth Is as Sharp a Sword as Vengeance,” demonstrates a musical maturity that perfectly encapsulates the essence of Abduction, with A|V commenting:
“The most obvious expansion is in the voice,” reflects vocalist and founder A|V. “I felt that vocally, I had more freedom to express the lyrics and messages with fewer genre leashes. Given the themes of pain, frustration, and fear involved, it made sense to convey that in its most natural state rather than perform to certain expectations. The vocals and lyrics are important to me, so I let them breathe and counterpoint the band’s playing.”
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As the album progresses to “Blau ist die Farbe der Ewigkeit,” there is an almost overwhelming sense of surrender to the waves of sheer technicality that flow throughout. At this point, describing it as a modern masterpiece feels entirely justified—something only reinforced by “Razors of Occam,” which incorporates a brief but striking dynamic shift that is, quite frankly, goosebump-inducing.
Concluding with the album’s longest track, “Vomiting at Baalbek,” the time is put to expert use, summoning an amalgamated entity of Abduction’s sound. The track’s length also enhances the aesthetic of this new release, leaving the listener with an almost cinematic presentation of bleakness and grandeur.
UK black metal has never sounded better.
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Existentialismus is out on February 21st
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Listening on repeat at the moment, honestly one of the best albums I’ve heard in ages