Album Review: Abduction - Existentialismus
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Of the numerous black metal acts emerging today, one of the the UK’s most notable names has got to be Abduction, having started small throughout their early days to now being recognised amongst the country’s premier blackened forces. Formed in 2016 out of Derbyshire, England, Abduction is foremost a one-man band with Phil Illsley utilising all instruments and vocals throughout studio release, though incorporating live musicians as their live presence has only grown over the years. Unveiling a Demo in the same year, Abduction’s first full length work came over another year on with To Further The Dreams Of Failure. Their Respiratory Poison EP followed soon after and come 2018 the band would release album two: A Crown Of Curses. A slew of additional release would follow forthwith; Singles, an EP, a Demo, a Split alongside Nocturnal Prayer, but we’d finally get another full length in the form of 2022’s Black Blood, a record I firmly consider amongst the greatest black metal releases that respective year. Another three years on Abduction return to deliver us their fourth full length opus and, given the band’s increasing incline of quality across records, I was very excited to get stuck into this one. Carrying on their partnership with Candlelight Records, Abduction’s Existentialismus is due out February 21st.
I think half the reason I enjoy Abduction so much is the fact that their soundscape doesn’t sound as completely visceral and slicing as other black metal acts, for there is a particularly solid foundation underlying their performance. Abduction’s sound has often felt like a black metal attack laid atop a death metal backdrop; the opening track, “A Legacy Of Sores” only emphasises this notion for whilst the riffs harbour this strumming, biting presence reminiscent of all things glacial and frost-coated, Abduction hit us with the temerity and vigour familiar in death metal. The collective production gives weight to this additionally for you can hear and feel the basslines forming that underlayer required for riffs to resonate, bouncing back towards us which binds us only closer to the band’s performance. The black metal inherent to Abduction’s identity carries on from album to album but it’s always bound up within a clenched fist that isn’t afraid to be a little bolder, a little more outlined, than most black metal acts.
I’ve come to appreciate how Abduction never really slow their tempo down across tracks, regardless of what album you’re experiencing. Often their records, Existentialismus included, have a limited track selection and thus they can’t waste time in bringing their audience on board with a latest release. But it also means they can inject extra time into a track and really give songwriting, here and there, that added depth and development should their songwriting ask for it. Abduction have become rather adept at writing black metal that never outright slows down yet there is song progression present whereby one track you’re listening to won’t feel the same by its end. It’s a subtle form of songwriting that keeps the tempo high yet our engagement doesn’t wane. For tracks averaging six to seven minutes long this is vital otherwise you’ll lose your audience. Tracks can be predominantly scathing before developing a steadier sequence backed by more methodically played drums just prior to the most heinous moment yet, collated within a single song.
Vocally it’s pleasant to acknowledge Abduction’s commitment to ensuring the vocal delivery is not only understood above the instrumentation’s roar, but also possesses a hint of intelligibility. Compared to other acts, hearing and actively following the vocal tracks is a legitimate rarity in black metal as this style often seeks to entwine riffs and blast beats and vocals together in some smelting pot which is what creates that streamlined catharsis so recognisable in black metal. It therefore demonstrates care and purpose thrown into the mixing process in order for the vocals to stand head and shoulder above all other aspects this record thrusts upon us. That’s no small feat either since, as covered, Abduction don’t slow down unless for songwriting purposes and, even then, their tempo changes are so slight it rarely changes the essence of a track. Given Abduction are, in the studio, a one-man band, it makes sense for Phil Illslev to want to hear his own vocals given it’s his brainchild but it inadvertently becomes one of Abduction’s more standout features. There’s nought wrong to hear black metal produced well and it’s a blessed change to experience blackened, buffeting vocals given their due all the while the riffs are battering us without end.
Unless my memory fails me, Existentialismus certainly feels to have called back to the more chaotic and unhinged elements of Abduction’s earlier years. We’ve seen the band in more composed quality with Black Blood, a record I adored for such a reason, however this record seems to embody many of the more frantic, rabid qualities that garnered many to Abduction to begin with. As such, one could imagine Existentialismus a fusion of the band’s gnarlier and refined periods to create a record that excellently places Abduction in the here and now, establishing an identity that all fans of the band can collectively agree upon. Though their songwriting takes you under its wing with ease, they don’t shy away from throwing you headfirst into the more chaotic, erratic sequences their soundscape is capable of jutting up. Amidst a cacophony of crashing cymbals, flailing riffs and vocals that refuse to quieten from start to finish, Abduction can still draw up the path before us with competence and highlight where we may be led down before the insanity kicks in.
In conclusion, Abduction’s Existentialismus really is a band in profile. More than any record they’ve yet released, Existentialismus is a great marker depicting whereabouts the band are at and what they believe their identity and signature sound to be. Whether it’s something more refined or submerging themselves in the raw and uncouth nature of black metal, Abduction are currently succeeding on all fronts. There’s a reason why the band have become one of the most recognisable blackened powers amidst the UK today and Existentialismus is effectively a case study in why that is. It manages to be powerful yet reserved, fierce but proud and deeply detailed in its track progression whilst retaining the savagery inherent to its blackened moniker. It’s going to turn heads for sure and is yet another notch in Abduction’s successful, growing career. A fine time to be had and, given the speed and adrenaline it plays with, it’ll satisfy and encourage you to return again and again if only to feel the intangible night once more.
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