Entry 502 - Abigor - Leytmotif Luzifer (The 7 Temptations of Man)

 

God damn this is a tough nut to crack. Abigor's albums are almost always inaccessible at very best, but this one in particular is taking me quite some time to get any sort of connection with... like, years.

What makes this one so difficult to get into? That's the enigma of this album, I really don't know. There is so much here that I love about the band: the obscure song structures, the almost random changes from riff to riff, the endless flurry of each song - never giving the listener a break. Everything that Abigor excels at is on this album, including the much welcomed return of Silenius on vocals. I figured by trying to write down my thoughts as the album sits on the turntable for a few spins, maybe I can solve the riddle of Leytmotif Luzifer.

When I think about it, this is really my favorite kind of album. An album that I know I should like, but I can't get into... so I keep coming back. Repeat the process indefinably until the album clicks... I will likely never give up on this thing.

Abigor's particular brand of black metal is unique. No other band has sounds like them, and that continues with Leytmotif Luzifer. The riffs are so razor sharp and intricate that they are instantly recognizable as Abigor. The riffs on this particular album hearken back to the earlier days of Supreme Immortal Art minus the keys. They are ever changing, never repeating, a million ideas in a minute. One moment the band will be blasting at lightning speeds, then it all stops seemingly mid riff and goes to a series of notes that seemingly don't belong together. Throw in some random clean vocals and passages where everything comes together in triumphant fashion and you have Abigor's core sound on this album.

Even though the sound is incredibly challenging, these seven songs are incredible. Even the few short spins I had of the record today got me closer to breaking through... I can feel it's close. This album is always a fascinating spin and I anticipate that it will be back on my turntable in short order.