Abraham - Débris de mondes perdus

Angry Metal Guy 70

I have struggled mightily with Abraham. At its core, is it still Neurosis-core? Sure. Any post-metal release is bound to be. But there’s something especially tortured about its swaths of monolithic riffs and vivacious in its vocal variety, but above all, patient. It feels like an otherworldly ritual, as the drums pulse and the guitars plod with hypnotic rhythms to the beat of otherworldly suffering. While its former releases felt shining and hopeful, clean and precise, fourth full-length Débris de mondes perdus feels gritty, soiled, and unforgiving – but above all, hopeless.

Abraham‘s “FFO” list is vast, as acts like Breach, Cult of Luna, Wolves in the Throne Room, Amenra, and Mike Oldfield make appearances.¹ It’s easy to pigeonhole Abraham as post-metal, because the common thread that courses through Débris de mondes perdus is its Isis-isms in off-kilter percussion and heavy slow riffs. Fourth album Débris de mondes perdus follows up the Swiss act’s insane catalog: debut An Eye on the Universe and The Serpent, the Prophet & the Whore were unashamed Neurosis fodder, post-metal weight given to a punky ferocity. The Swiss quartet hit a pinnacle of sorts with Look, Here Comes the Dark!, creating four distinct movements with unique moods and motifs. However, although done with precision and professionalism, it was let down by its mammoth two-hour length, sterile production, and limp songwriting. Débris de mondes perdus blessedly embarks on a journey across a scorched earth and cold stars, in an album revels in its endearing imperfections.

In a word, Débris de mondes perdus‘ palette feels animalistic. Spearheaded by newfound vocalist and drummer Dave Schlagmeister, ritualistic drumming that recalls the unyielding apathy of Isis‘ Panopticon constitutes its backbone. Abraham likewise refuses to succumb to basic bludgeoning, as the guitars are just as elusive, balancing sludgy heft with complex melodic flourishes as fluid as any in the scene. Much like last year’s Sigil, they balance hints of melody with uncompromising dissonance, as tracks like “Ravenous is the Night” and “Our Words Born in Fire” are clear highlights due to their massive ambition, oozing climactic hopelessness with rhythmic derision. Abraham dwells on devastated planets of barren darkness struggling to survive, and tracks like “Blood Moon, New Alliance” and “Maudissements” feel nearly gothic-with-a-twist in their layers of droning guitar and manic clean vocals, unique in their ambition and bullseye in their execution. Closer “Black Breath” feels as though the album, in the words of T.S. Eliot, does not end with a “bang, but with a whimper.” Featuring Swiss singer Emilie Zoé’s smooth and tantalizing vocals alongside dissonant guitar swaths and Schlagmeister’s commanding shouts, as the end washes over unabated and uncontested.

Although symbolic, one finds that the back-half of Débris de mondes perdus falls into the rut. While “Verminvisible” and “Maudissements” do a good job injecting wild energy to build up to the ambitiously splattering two-part climax in “Ravenous is the Night” and “Our Words Born in Fire,” “Fear Overthrown” and “A Celestial Funeral” feel as if Abraham have succumbed to the darkness. They utilize similar tricks, but in a way that emphasizes amorphous swaths of atmosphere over solid songwriting – they end up feeling like more stagnant and uninteresting versions of previous tracks. Simply put, these feel as if they’ve run out of steam. Furthermore, Abraham adds little to the style aside from a very good version of it, that apart from some uniquely dissonant swaths of chords and atmosphere, Débris de mondes perdus feels firmly within the shadow of acts like Isis, Neurosis, and Cult of Luna.

Débris de mondes perdus feels like the first step of a revitalized act. Abraham has always felt in a bit of an identity crisis, and while Look, Here Comes the Dark! showed tantalizing ambition, going against its squeaky clean production, predictable structure, and pretentious concepts was the best step they could have taken. While within the lanes of post-metal’s greatest, it has taken four albums for these Swiss to find their niche, and Débris de mondes perdus injects energy, bleakness, and dissonance into a scene known for its apathetic heaviness. While Abraham‘s best is yet to come, Débris de mondes perdus is a great first step in the right direction.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: abrahamband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/abrahamtheband
Releases Worldwide: February 25th, 2022

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