A genuinely creepy album from a genuinely bizarre band. Abigor's Nachthymnen is, in fact, this incredibly prolific Austrian band's third LP, and boy howdy, it is a classic example of the "third time's a charm" phenomenon that's so common in metal. This album is just flat-out weird from start to finish.

The first track "Unleashed Axe Age" starts out with a classically atmospheric sound of the Arctic Wind blowing - then vocalist Silenius chants out "ANCIENTS WE INVOKE!!!" immediately the fun begins. A whirlwind riff with pounding percussion (amongst which we hear timpanis!), which leads into one of the most beautiful instrumental passages I've heard in the black metal genre to this point - it incorporates woodwinds, acoustic guitars, strings, and more timpanis along with the classic black metal trem-picked mayhem.

This leads into the body of the song, which is comprised of several gazillion psychotic, yet strangely melodic, whirlwind riffs (which are all tuned to E, or possibly even higher to create a very thin and wispy sound) and it all winds its way back towards the blasting percussive intro. It'd be impossible to describe the other eight tracks of this album without getting a severe headache. They all sound very different from one another and keep the listener off balance by throwing all types of unexpected rhythm shifts, weird instrumentation, and vocal mantras (both male and female) at him.

All I can say is that this is not an album that can truly be appreciated without quiet time to oneself and a good pair of headphones, so you can sit down, pay attention to the album, and soak up all the chaotic beauty without any outside distractions. There's a lot going on here - and when I say that, you better fucking believe it, because I also listen to bands like Cryptopsy, Nile, Cynic, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

Lyrically, this album is equally great. The themes are fairly typical for this style of black metal, but phrased a lot more eloquently than most of their peers can manage. If you are willing to take on the challenge of listening to a totally unique album with more bells and whistles than you can count on the legs of a millipede, I highly recommend this album. If not, stay away at all costs unless you want a serious migraine.

This review is credited to:
The Havoc Vulture