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Unholy Mothra flock in ship (you get the idea). This is greatness. Well, if you’ve a penchant for hopelessness, that is. This is the brand of lyrical and thematic despair only rivaled by the underappreciated Today is the Day. The notion of “life sucks... and then you keep on suffering” is accompanied by the dissonant but almost harmonic approach mastered by the almighty Neurosis. The vocals and drumming easily invoke Eyehategod and the tempo ranges from slow to slower and even slower making Crowbar seem fast by comparison. Why all the name-dropping, boys and girls? Because these are 4 bands claimed to be Abandon’s direct influences. Right on, I say.
This band has “it” in spades and whatever “it” is, few others have “it.” Be thankful for that otherwise the suicide hotline folks would be in real danger. “In Reality We Suffer” was recorded in October 2002 but didn’t see the darkness of the bleakest midnight for another 2+ years. Maybe all that time passed because the recording staff succumbed to a sonic overdose and others only stumbled upon this magnum opus much later. Regardless, this is Funeral Doom -- meant to be consumed (and to consume the listener) at once -- perfected. Sludge seems too upbeat as only SunnO)) or Earth are slower. It is verily difficult to believe that Abandon hails from Gothenburg, Sweden.
If you missed out on Grief (or can’t find their ~rare records now) or can’t get enough Khanate, get Abandon. Now. Black Star Foundation originally released 500 copies (11/04) in conjunction with Thrash and Burn Recordings (of Sweden and Finland, respectively) for release in Scandinavia. In the U.K. this smoldering platter of sonic death is out on Code:Breaker (their second release; 03/05), though Earache (U.S.; 04/05) has it listed in their catalog as MOSH 303 for wider release. If you find yourself (un)fortunate enough to want this, be careful as Friedrich Nietszche admonished: “When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” Consider yourself warned.
| Tracklist |
| 1. ... |
| 2. Trauma Is The Trigger |
| 3. Somnabulistic |
| 4. In Hopelessness Enlightened |
| 5. Piles Of Pigs |
| 6. In Reality We Suffer |
| 7. Will Gladly Perish |
| 8. ... |
| 9./10. Stillborn Persistence |
| 11. [untitled] |
: 76.17
| Buy other Abandon albums |
