Post by Kevin on Sept 23, 2002 13:45:03 GMT -5
Band: Abdullah
Album: Graveyard Poetry
Format: CD
Label: MeteorCity
Time: 64 Minutes
Year: 2002
Track list:
Rune
Black Helicopters
A Dark but Shining Sun
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs
Deprogramed
Pantheistic
Beyond the Mountain
Salamander
Strange Benedictions
Secret Teachings of Lost Ages
Medicine Man
Guided by the Spirit
Behold a Pale Horse
They, the Tyrants
Cover Photo: www.stonerrock.com/mcd/info.asp?item_num=ATH-1346&custid=596759.646&tempcustid=True&cartstatus=
Like some of you, I’ve had the promo of this for some time. Now that the official release is at hand, I think its time to bump this one up again so it can get the attention it deserves!
Abdullah’s label, MeteorCity, has truly widened the definition of stonerrock, or stoner doom, or what have you, this year. Diverse releases ranging from the b-movie psych of the Ribeye Brothers to the stoner-licious sounds of the Mushroom River Band to the melodic doom of Ohio’s Abdullah are mainly united by their high quality, as opposed to any allegiance to a specific sound.
One might say the same about Abdullah. I’ve been an enthusiast since the ‘Snake Lore’ days, and I’ve loved their brand of melodic doom from the start. For some reason these guys remind me of New York doomsters Slow Horse far more than they remind me of any easy old school doom examples you might think of. It must be the clean, melodic vocals and literate lyrics. And speaking of literature, vocalist Jeff Shirilla pounds those thoughtful lyrics out like he majored in English, ha ha. That even extends to the song titles, such as ‘The Whimper of Whipped Dogs’ and ‘Behold a Pale Horse.’ If you can name the authors of those 2 works for me, I’ll buy you a beer next time we meet.
If you’ve been paying attention to reviews posted around the net, you know that Abdullah is breaking out of the doom ghetto now, at least to an extent. Yeah, the doom is still here, what with instant classics like ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ and ‘Salamander,’ with its irrestible descending riff. But Abdullah has injected a big ole’ hypo full of classic Maiden and Priest into the mix: check ‘Strange Benedictions’ and ‘Guided by the Spirit.’ And dig the death growls in the signoff tune, ‘They, the Tyrants.’ Who knows where these doomsters are going to end up?
One thing that nobody’s talked about is the production. As an old Pere Ubu fan, I’m very familiar with the work of producer Paul Hamann. As far as I’m concerned, his name should be spoken with the same reverence as Billy Anderson’s, Scott Reeder’s, or even Steve Albini’s. Paul’s super-experienced at getting a powerful, natural sound. It wouldn’t surprise me if he uses tubes in the recording process.
If you like clean, melodic doom with a heavy injection of old-school metal, you’ll love Abdullah. Check it out, baby!
Kevin McHugh
Album: Graveyard Poetry
Format: CD
Label: MeteorCity
Time: 64 Minutes
Year: 2002
Track list:
Rune
Black Helicopters
A Dark but Shining Sun
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs
Deprogramed
Pantheistic
Beyond the Mountain
Salamander
Strange Benedictions
Secret Teachings of Lost Ages
Medicine Man
Guided by the Spirit
Behold a Pale Horse
They, the Tyrants
Cover Photo: www.stonerrock.com/mcd/info.asp?item_num=ATH-1346&custid=596759.646&tempcustid=True&cartstatus=
Like some of you, I’ve had the promo of this for some time. Now that the official release is at hand, I think its time to bump this one up again so it can get the attention it deserves!
Abdullah’s label, MeteorCity, has truly widened the definition of stonerrock, or stoner doom, or what have you, this year. Diverse releases ranging from the b-movie psych of the Ribeye Brothers to the stoner-licious sounds of the Mushroom River Band to the melodic doom of Ohio’s Abdullah are mainly united by their high quality, as opposed to any allegiance to a specific sound.
One might say the same about Abdullah. I’ve been an enthusiast since the ‘Snake Lore’ days, and I’ve loved their brand of melodic doom from the start. For some reason these guys remind me of New York doomsters Slow Horse far more than they remind me of any easy old school doom examples you might think of. It must be the clean, melodic vocals and literate lyrics. And speaking of literature, vocalist Jeff Shirilla pounds those thoughtful lyrics out like he majored in English, ha ha. That even extends to the song titles, such as ‘The Whimper of Whipped Dogs’ and ‘Behold a Pale Horse.’ If you can name the authors of those 2 works for me, I’ll buy you a beer next time we meet.
If you’ve been paying attention to reviews posted around the net, you know that Abdullah is breaking out of the doom ghetto now, at least to an extent. Yeah, the doom is still here, what with instant classics like ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ and ‘Salamander,’ with its irrestible descending riff. But Abdullah has injected a big ole’ hypo full of classic Maiden and Priest into the mix: check ‘Strange Benedictions’ and ‘Guided by the Spirit.’ And dig the death growls in the signoff tune, ‘They, the Tyrants.’ Who knows where these doomsters are going to end up?
One thing that nobody’s talked about is the production. As an old Pere Ubu fan, I’m very familiar with the work of producer Paul Hamann. As far as I’m concerned, his name should be spoken with the same reverence as Billy Anderson’s, Scott Reeder’s, or even Steve Albini’s. Paul’s super-experienced at getting a powerful, natural sound. It wouldn’t surprise me if he uses tubes in the recording process.
If you like clean, melodic doom with a heavy injection of old-school metal, you’ll love Abdullah. Check it out, baby!
Kevin McHugh
