KNEEL BEFORE THE GRAND DUKES OF HELL!!!!
Gūm-ishi Ashi Gurum | New York, NY United States | 02/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ah, yes, Verwustung. This debut CD from Abigor was highly hailed when it arrived in the underground as well it should be. Abigor are one of the most underrated bands in black metal..... let me rephrase that. People who know what's up know that Marduk and Dark Funeral, later Emperor and later Satyricon, and all that ... is ho-hum and boring (most of the time). (I won't even discuss gothic-bm poseur nonsense) If you scratch the surface of the underground a little bit beyond what Amazon and Tower Records tell you to buy, you'll find the truly proficient bands. Abigor's debut is wonderful and a seminal work in black metal history. Incredibly proficient song writing, remarkable unreptitive song structure. Very impassioned vocals, tight tight tight instrumentation. All the elements are there. Sometimes brutal, sometimes melodic, sometimes rocking, sometimes lush, no cheezy keyboards, no whining gothic pansies, true fire of rage and forests of hate.... Austrian venom!!! Thick guitars, good production for black metal, yet tuning still manages to capture menacing rocking rawness needed for bm guitars. Everything is weaved together flawlessly with tempo and harmony shifts and innovative ideas for both melodic lines and song progressions. Highly competent, which usually means not heavy or boring in bm (i.e Emperor after Nightside), but Abigor know what they're doing and lose no feeling of evil. Not as blistering as orkblut nor as sinister as Opus IV, Verwustung is still one of THE crowning achievements of black metal. (ps: avoid their "supreme immortal art," boring. First five release are great)Note: This is one of those albums that might have to "sink in" with repeated listenings, as the song structures can be pretty complex and take a while to "get used to." If it sounds boring or bland, give it a while and you will eventually realize the genius that is this album. Again, NO PANSY KEYBOARDS... so stay away you wimpy goths... this is EVIL music, not weepy trend-poser wussiness... this has GUITARS and DRUMS!!! The music relies on SONG STRUCTURE and WELL WRITTEN RIFFS... understand???True METAL headz will definitely enjoy this. A must. (Though I must say, get Orkblut NOW NOW NOW!!!!)"
CLASSIC 90'S BLACK METAL
thebulldozer | Palmas, PR, Brazil | 08/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is pure BLACK METAL in the vein of BURZUM / BURZUM, but showing very original passages with keyboards and accoustic guitars. Majestic!!! The guitar riffs are some of the best ever composed in black metal!!! Best tracks: "Kingdom of Darkness", "In sin", "Mys soft vision in blood" and "Keeping midwintertears"!!! True essential classic!!!"
ABIGOR IS A SUPREME BLACK METAL
thebulldozer | 05/08/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Definitively Abigor is one of the most supreme band of the black metal in the world! Those are the only words that I have to say!"