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Hymn to Abramelin
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Hymn to Abramelin
Current price: $48.99
Barnes and Noble
Hymn to Abramelin
Current price: $48.99
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Like precursors
and
and successors
and their ilk,
fall into the "less-is-more" category of
. One listen to their 1986 debut
reveals the production to be nearly non-existent, the songwriting at times underdone, the musicianship often sketchy (the drummer can't really keep time, but otherwise he's great!), but the end result to be ultimately brilliant! Yes, it's all very contradictory, but welcome to wacky world of mid-'80s European underground
, where crude visionaries like
, the aforementioned
and, yes,
, all merit thrones as prone to worship by the
faithful as those of far more commercially successful bands like
,
, and
. In effect,
earned such distinction because of its simplicity -- by showing the kids that
, like
, could be performed with more heart than technical expertise. Propagating the white-knuckled aggression and anti-social, often Satanic lyrics typically attractive to
fans didn't hurt, either, and
exploit that formula to the max on highlights including the instrumental title track and vicious thrashings like
-- many of which are introduced by perfectly apropos zombie-like, baritone recitations of demonic intent. Another favorite,
is just that: two-and-a-half-minutes of frenetic instrumental flailing punctuated by horrid shrieks of despair; closing epic
finally breaks with the ultra-simple template to entertain some surprisingly inventive and complex riff orchestrations; and, among the various bonus tracks present on most CD re-issues,
offers a furiously extended good time to go along with the remaining rough but entertaining demos. No surprise, then, that
remains a favorite example of its kind to serious
fans. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia