ALBUM REVIEW: Outstrider – Abbath

Within heavy music circles, Abbath has reached a celebrity status unheard of for black metal musicians. After his well-documented split with the legendary IMMORTAL in 2015, he went on to form his new, eponymous outfit, releasing the highly praised self-titled album (read our review of their debut here) the following year. With a whole new line-up, ABBATH return three years on with Outstrider – their second album and their chance to prove the debut wasn’t a flash in the pan moment. 

Starting off Outstrider, Calm In Ire (Of Hurricane) opens atmospherically, with rushing winds making way to acoustic guitars and an immediately memorable riff. Bursts of bluesy lead work give way to an infectious groove before the intensity is ramped up and a shred-filled solo take the opening track to its conclusion. A wonderful opening, and a high bar to set for the rest of Outstrider – though ABBATH are up to the challenge. Keeping the energy levels high, Bridge Of Spasms is a high octane blast of pure black metal. Abbath‘s iconic shrieks give way to a croaking yell at points, serving as an odd but memorable addition to his vocal arsenal, and the band let up on the fury just enough to let some groove in to play. As if he hadn’t had enough of a chance to flex his shredding muscles, Abbath uses The Artifex to showcase the full range of his six-stringed assault; taking the opportunity to throw down a stunning, face-melting solo amid the tremolo riffs and crushing heaviness.

Video single Harvest Pyre serves as abundant proof that for all the grimness, all the musical darkness and aural violence, black metal has the capacity to be filled to bursting with hooks. Harvest Pyre doesn’t subtly burrow its way into your subconscious so much as it caves in your cranium with axe, ensuring you never forget a second. Meanwhile, Land Of Khem starts with a brief acoustic opening before ABBATH descend into grim, mid-paced riffs and blitzkrieg bursts of solo work. One of the most traditionally black metal offerings on Outstrider, Land Of Khem shows comfort both in the slower, more heavy metal influenced passages and the visceral aggression that comes hand in hand with black metal.

Outstrider‘s title track brings the stomping groove and inescapable hooks aplenty – not that the album was lacking in either up to this point. Despite being the longest track on the album by over a minute, at no point does Outstrider overstay its welcome, rather it is one of the most fun moments to be found on the record. Black metal could be criticised of being too serious, the shows too theatrical and far removed from the larger-than-life enjoyment that came from heavy metal’s formative years – but Outstrider makes you want to do nothing other than bang your head, skull some beer, and scream along at the top of your lungs. A testament to the brighter side of darkness.

Scythewinder and Hecate drop in with the ferocity of an arctic blizzard, magnificently blending the old-school, first wave speed and vitriol with a touch of modern sensibility, leading nicely into the album’s final offering. Rounding off Outstrider wonderfully, ABBATH close the record with an excellent cover of BATHORY‘s Pace Till Death, from the seminal 1988 record Blood Fire Death. In a way, it feels like the band chose the perfect cover here – aside from perhaps VENOM, what other trailblazer from black metal’s formative days is as iconic in their mix of traditional metal and blackened sonic hatred? It would be a stretch to argue that Pace Till Death‘s inclusion on Outstrider is absolutely necessary, but it is a fitting way to end the record: it reinforces the roots of Abbath‘s personal influences; it fully embodies the blackened heavy metal approach the band have reinforced from start to finish on the record; and, most importantly, it makes for a riotously fun time.

Though it should come as no surprise to those familiar with Abbath the man, across Outstrider we see ABBATH the band delve even further into the musical territory they flirted with on their debut. Make no mistake, this is a black metal album at its core, but throughout the record the band inject a far more traditional metal influence; something that was hinted at with the debut, but is far more pronounced here. This influence is felt in every track in the album – from the bursts of bluesy, traditional metal inspired lead guitar work that makes its presence known from the offset in Calm In Ire (Of Hurricane) and continues through almost every track Outstrider has to offer to the stomping, infectious groove shown in Land Of Khem and the title track to the hook-heavy, immensely catchy sensibilities of Harvest Pyre. The end result is truly spellbinding. More fun than black metal has any right to be, utterly brutalising and masterfully composed, the second album from ABBATH sees the outfit expand incredibly on the blueprint of the self-titled debut. Perfectly balancing a catchy, fun time with some of the best, darkest music of Abbath‘s 30 year career, Outstrider is one of the most essential and enjoyable black metal albums of 2019.

Rating: 9/10

Outstrider is out now via Season Of Mist. 

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