ALBUM REVIEW: Word Of Sin – The Abbey
A melodic swirl of mysticism encapsulates the nine-track debut of Finnish five-piece THE ABBEY. Drawing in musical elements of doom, melodic rock as well as symphonic overtones, Word Of Sin takes on an edge of darkness with a lyrical content drawing inspiration from esoteric occult social and spiritual philosophy. It also draws from the personal inspiration wells of the musicians themselves. The result is a striking album that on one hand appears too dark and heavy for a straight rock album and on the other too lightweight to be considered a doom release. It’s an intoxicating kaleidoscope of elements and textures.
The richly textured Rat King opens the album and provides the first glimpse as to what THE ABBEY are working to achieve. Choral-like vocals deliver well-crafted melody lines that interweave with the crunching, jagged guitar lines and complimentary rhythm section. The track progresses and the layers build to include a choir backing to the vocals and instrumental breaks of staccato chords and crashing drums. The result is a meandering doomy-tinged prog trip that resolves itself to a climactic, melody driven finale and leaves the door open for the album to build upon these themes. A Thousand Dead Witches picks up on this, with the choir-like vocals forming more of a focal point. The guitar and rhythm attack is more driven and punchier. It’s a more foot to the floor rockier number than the proggier introductory track, however, the themes of the album tie the differing song structures together.
This mixing of genre styles and execution on alternating tracks runs deep throughout Word Of Sin. However, it never comes across as chaotic or out of place, this is due to several notable reasons. Firstly, the mixing of the album is unified and delivered to a calibre that suits each individual track while tying them all together. The ethereal nature of the music that the band have set out to deliver is served perfectly by the layering and texture building of the mix – a sonic alchemy that heightens the charm of the music.
This brings us to another point; the song-writing that THE ABBEY have established is of a very high quality and it gets stronger as the album progresses. Starless is a slow burner of a track that soars to a guitar led melodic epic finish, whereas Widow’s Will is one of the catchiest tracks on the album. With all the hallmarks of a doom-led brute in its introduction, it too morphs into something more, becoming a punchy prog hook with tinges of a straight forward rocker. This brings about the third key point; the thematic content never deviates from track to track. The mix ties the sounds together, the execution of the song-writing keeps each track sounding fresh and individualistic, yet the themes the five-piece have worked on cut a clear path through the various elements and provide a unifying chain for all of the musical ideas to link to.
Word Of Sin is an album for a dark night, to fall into some intoxicating melodies and be taken on a transcendental journey, allowing for rich textures to fill the gaps as sweeping melodic lines light the way. It’s an album that will certainly offer much to fans of prog and doom as well as those looking for something more from their rock and metal mainstays.
Rating: 7/10
Word Of Sin is set for release on February 17th via Season Of Mist.
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