ABIGOR — Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age (review)

ABIGOR — Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age album cover Album · 1994 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
J-Man
After releasing a string of demos in 1993 and early 1994, Austrian black metal outfit Abigor finally took advantage of the full-length album format with 1994's Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age. Gone are the shoddy production values and average songwriting that plagued their early demos, and in its place is some pretty impressive and even mildly experimental black metal music. Although Abigor doesn't do quite enough to substantially differentiate themselves from the more renowned second-wave black metal bands, they do exhibit an ambitious attitude on Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age; and for the most part, they deliver their sound with great success. This album isn't flawless, but it's a highly promising debut from an unfortunately overlooked band.

Though this may sound strange when we're discussing a black metal record from 1994, one of the first things that grabbed my attention about Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age was how tight and precise Abigor sounds from a musicianship perspective. Drummer Thomas Tannenberger is especially on fire here, and in addition to dishing out plenty of lightning-fast blastbeats, his fills are also some of the most impressive I've ever heard. It's clear that Abigor has really honed in on their craft since their sloppy demo tapes, and their abilities as songwriters have also much improved. Although I don't think Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age entirely captures the dark atmosphere that Abigor was aiming for, there's no doubt in my mind that this is a great black metal album from beginning to end. The mildly technical style of songwriting immediately sets Abigor apart from the Burzums and Darkthrones of the world, and a few folky acoustic sections and synthesizer parts do further give the band a name of their own. I wouldn't say that the synthesizers are used particularly well, and they do often give off a bit of a cheesy vibe, but it is clear that Abigor is a somewhat unique band, even if they don't stray from the norm too often.

All in all, Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age is an impressive and pretty original debut from Abigor. The complex riff structures and twisted sense of melody are a clear signal of a band with a lot of promise, and I'll be looking forward to brushing up on the rest of Abigor's discography in the future. Although I'm missing any truly mesmerizing atmospheres on Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age, the band does deliver enough memorable riffs and progressive flourishes to make this a worthwhile experience for black metal fans. 3.5 stars are well-deserved for this impressive debut.
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Wilytank wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Give Nachthymnen a shot. It captures what atmosphere that wasn't captured on Verwustung.

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