Customer Reviews

Abdullah

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow....that's about all I can say. It is amazing how critics alawys find some tuneless slab of drivel to perch atop their number top album list of each year. I read a great deal about this album in many stoner rock critics lists before I decided to buy in, and it was definitely worth the wait. This album is downright scary good. S-C-A-R-Y good. It has been so long since melody and true heaviness (sonically they are heavy, but the themes and the mood here is what is so jaw-droppingly heavy) have been meshed so effectively. Songs like the album opener Path to Enlightenment and the epic Visions of the Daughters of Time simply redefine rock music for the music listener willing to take the ride. Never has mellow been so heavy. Lucifer In Starlight is also a gem. You will FEEL this. Let down your guard and let this music emotionally cover you. Also, this just knocked Tool's Lateralus out of the top position in my house rotation. And all I am thinking is: what took me so long? Buy this, and be prepared for something different. Take the time for this to absorb. An album made with care and true heaviness. And don't forget to listen to Electric Wizard as much as possible as well.

A sprawling masterpiece! From the opening notes of "The Path to Enlightenment," Abdullah takes you on an exquisite musical journey that mixes themes of darkness and despair with those of hope and the sublime. The music oscillates between dense riff-driven monsters (listen to the epic "Awakening the Colossus") to soft, introspective musings ("Lotus Eaters"), uncovering a broad spectrum of moods and colors in the process. Fans of St. Vitus, the Obsessed, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden take note, though this album has enough surprises to appeal to fans of many eclectic tastes (such as Nick Cave, Radiohead, and the Sisters of Mercy).

Abdullah's first full-length album is excellent moody death metal. New comers to the world of Doom Metal and Stoner Rock are in for a treat. Jeff Schrilla's vocals are not the typical deep unintelligible screams of a lot of doom metal bands. Instead, it is more musical like Goatsnake or Acid Bath. The vocals combine with the distorted Sabbath riffs to create what I feel is some of the best doom metal available. Black Sabbath fans should enjoy Abdullah. I could almost compare "The Path of Enlightenment" to Sabbath's mightiest (War Pigs, Into The Void). On the other end of the spectrum, the sorrowful "Lucifer in Starlight" captures the hopelessness of hell. And "Lotus Eaters" is equally haunting. This album is solid. I cannot sight a single fault. I hope to see more of this band in the future, and I highly recommend "Abdullah".

Abdullah's debut full length dropped back in 2000 and remained one of those curiously overlooked gems, lurking on the periphery of my musical explorations for far too long. Thankfully during my recent investigations I stumbled across their limited catalogue, containing this self-titled debut and its 2002 follow-up Graveyard Poetry as the band's only full-length albums in a career that was either short-lived or is in long-term hibernation.

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Abdullah generally functioned as a two-piece for this recording, led by multi-talented frontman Jeff Shirilla on drums and vocals and handling the bulk of the song writing, with Alan Seibert on guitars and Jamie Walters and Ed Milich sharing bass duties.

Abdullah play a brand of refreshingly melodic doom blended with the occasional classic rock riff and hauntingly melodic vocals. Despite the darker overtones and lyrical themes, Abdullah's music offers enough twists, turns and variety in the song-writing department to avoid the pitfalls of the doom genre by ensuring the songs do not get bogged down or become too repetitive or sluggish.

Production is remarkably clean for the genre while still managing to pack a punch, the bluesy riffs hitting hard and dishing out some nice grooves. Opener `The Path to Enlightenment' has been re-jinked from its original appearance on the Snake Lore EP. The powerful track sets a standard for the rest of the album over its seven minute plus duration, showcasing Abdullah's strengths and variation. The lengthy track is broken up by a nice transition into tripped out acoustic territory, skilfully handled and revisited on several tracks throughout the album. Musicianship is of a very high standard, particularly the guitar work of Seibert, that mirrors the diversity of the arrangements, dishing out some stellar riffs (bluesy doom and classic rock variety), trippy acoustics and tasty leads.

Shirilla's vocals are an obvious highlight. He has great range and sings with passion and soul, complimenting the shifting dynamics and shades of the album. His mournful, though occasionally uplifting vocals blend perfectly with the ebb and flow of the musical arrangements and sturdy doom-rock foundations. `Lucifer in Starlight' and `Lotus Eaters' finds Abdullah reigning in the heaviness and doom leanings, staying in reflective acoustic territory, though Abdullah are at their strongest on the longer, diverse cuts (`Awaking the Colossus', `Journey to the Orange Island'). A stellar debut, assured, confident and sadly overlooked.

Abdullah are amazing. The vocals and guitar are perfectly mixed. Everything is lovely, especially Path... and ...the Colossus. These guys are from Cleveland,OH and I believe they should be placed next to Black Sabbath in the bleepin' Hall of Fame tomorrow night. Fans of the Obsessed, should be happy to know Abdullah will be playing on Spirit Caravan's summer tour. Check them out.

This cd is simply terrible. It sounds like any generic American rock band on the scene at the moment. It bears NO resemblance to either death or doom metal, so I don't know what bands the previous review was using as comparison. This is just simply terrible.