CoC : Abigor - Opus IV : Review

Abigor - _Opus IV_
(Napalm Records, 1996)
by: Henry Akeley (9 out of 10)

These guys are definitely one of the black metal scene's very best bands, and this killer release contains their most intense and creative work yet. Of course, _Opus IV_ features all the trademark Abigor touches; technical prowess, dynamic structures, ultra-pained vocals, stirring medieval flourishes, and layers of inventive embellishments. Just check out the opener, "Crimson Horizons and Ashen Skies" for all of the above. Yet this CD is even more involved and, at times, more aggressive than anything they've done before. Tracks like "Mirages for the Eyes of the Blind" and "Dimensions of Thy Unforgiven Sins (Part 1)" just seethe with feverish intensity, plunging through wild musical twists and turns punctuated by intriguing effects and unexpected interludes. It's ambitiously creative stuff, but they totally pull it off, producing some very weird, dark, and evocative sounds - a wild style of black metal which is all their own. This is the album which the fury of _Orkblut_ and the complexity of _Nachthymnen_ only hinted at. Strongly recommended to -any- metal fan seeking something savage, strange, and original.

(article published 11/10/1996)

CHATS
1/2/1997	S Hoeltzel	Abigor: Crimson Questions and Ashen Replies
7/17/1996	S Hoeltzel	Abigor: Update From the Twilight Kingdom

ALBUMS
6/23/2007	J Montague	6.5	Abigor - Fractal Possession
3/10/1998	S Hoeltzel	8.5	Abigor - Supreme Immortal Art
4/9/1997	S Hoeltzel	8	Abigor - Apokalypse
4/18/1996	S Hoeltzel	6	Abigor - Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)
3/14/1996	G Filicetti	7	Abigor - Verwustung/Invoke The Dark Age