Entry 547 - Abigor - Time is the Sulphur in the Veins of the Saint - An Excursion on Satan's Fragmenting Principle

 

Style: Experimental black metal with industrial and electronic moments

Primary Emotions/Themes: Metaphysics, biblical theology, literal satanism

Thoughts: There is no band like Abigor. They are entirely unique within the world of not only black metal, but music as a whole. No other band that I'm aware of has stayed within one genre so faithfully, yet reinvented themselves so completely every release. None of Abigor's albums sound alike.

On this particular album Abigor explore long form black metal intermixed with spoken word and electronic passages. Each side of the record is taken up by twenty minutes of Abigor's art.

As per normal with Abigor the music is entirely unique. Nothing sounds quite like this in my collection. That does provide a novel challenge in describing the music. In many ways it sounds like the musical embodiment of a philosophical argument. While looking into the lyrics, the first thing that is written is a thesis statement. I'm inclined to believe that the linear and ever growing nature of the music is a reflection of the arguments formed inside these lyrics. 

That said, the music alters between lengthy spoken passages with minimal musical accompaniment. Dark ambient passages that build over time, and experimental electronic portions that seemingly come out of no where and leave as quickly as they arrived. This is all overtop the basis of an already eccentric black metal record.

Abigor's riffs have always been the focal point of any album, and this one is no different. The guitars layer themselves in a way where it is difficult to differentiate them from one another. With this approach the band obscures the music within itself, something they have done multiple times in the past. This time though, the riffs are further obscured by the inclusion of electronica. To pull out the individual pieces of the music is quite the mental effort, and often led me to give up and take the music in as a whole.

The songs themselves come across as multiple shorter songs that were stitched together to create the with no regard for the listener or the fluidity of the song. The band's transitions between sections is often intense and jarring. Like so many things in Abigor's catalogue, this too is something that one becomes accustomed to with repeated listens. 

Abigor have always created what Abigor wanted on their own terms, no one else's. Time is the Sulphur... merely continues this line of thought that has permeated every record they have ever created.

Written September 5th 2023