Reviews list for Abigor - Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom) (1995)

While I didn't mind the allegedly classic 1994 "Verwüstung/Invoke the Dark Age" debut album from this Austrian black metal trio, I wouldn't say that I was totally convinced until their underrated 1995 "Orkblut - The Retaliation" E.P. which Ben purchased on CD at the time of release. I remember it distinctly because I went to leave the house to purchase it myself, only to discover Ben playing his new CD copy in his bedroom which saw much squabbling ensuing between us. It's been a while since I've listened to "Orkblut - The Retaliation" now but I remember it being a significant step up for the band, so by the time Abigor's sophomore album "Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" appeared just months later, the Austrians had our complete attention.

Time has shown us that "Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" has gone on to be Abigor's most highly regarded release over the years but I've never found it to be any more than a passing amusement personally & I still maintain that position now. I think it's just a bit too melodic & one-dimensional for my taste & it doesn't feel all that dark for a supposedly dark & evil black metal record. I certainly really enjoy the drumming of Thomas Tannenberger which is excellent throughout, particularly his brutal blast beats. I don't think the blackened shrieks of Silenius (Amestigon/Summoning/Die Verbannten Kinder Evas/Kreuzweg Ost/Pazuzu) are very good though & the synth work is really quite cheesy at times which perhaps shouldn't surprise me given Abigor's links to Summoning who I've always struggled with. Despite what some people may say, I do enjoy the clean female vocals which pop up from time to time, even if they do feel like they've been stolen from a gothic metal band while Peter Kubik & Tannenberger 's melodic tremolo-picked guitar interplay had become somewhat of a signature for Abigor by this stage but it can sound pretty samey after a while.

"Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)" can easily be broken up into three three-song portions in terms of quality in my opinion. The first trio of songs are all pretty decent but things only really heat up for the middle section of the album comprised of "Dornen", "As Astral Images Darken Reality" & "The Dark Kiss" before things settle back into the sort of standard we heard earlier in the release for the remainder of the tracklisting. There aren't any obvious duds included but I wouldn't say there's anything particularly classic here either so I can't justify those sort of claims about the overall album. Still... I think most black metal fans will appreciate Abigor's second full-length, despite the flaws I mentioned earlier.

For fans of Emperor, Dødheimsgard & Lunar Aurora.

I'm not very well versed in Abigor, but since I'll be joining Metal Academy's North Clan soon, it's time for me to get started on a North List Challenge. But first, before I handle the 2nd Decade Challenge, I'll celebrate with some classic black metal from Abigor.  I'm familiar with their debut album and thought it was quite good, but nothing special.  This is special, in a million ways.  There's a cinematic approach which allows the band to maximize their abilities.  Flawless production and mixing allows the full extent of their black metal prowess to bleed through like a big gash in the gut.  Not only is the balance between black metal speed and proper compositions perfected, allowing the band to constantly surprise every half a minute without breaking the essence of any song or the album itself, but the crystal production allows that second layer in the background to be heard quietly but clearly.  It would be nice to see them diversify their ideas more, but at least we have some brilliant playing and clever layering to back it all up.  To be honest, the first couple songs astounded me, but it felt less original as it went along.  Still, I'm happy to get through yet another classic in the traditional black metal scene, and I'll definitely check out more Abigor albums later on.

93

Clan Challenge Review #1. There are 25 Albums on this list. I am familiar with 16 of them. Playing it safe this time after foraying into uncharted territory with the last clan challenge, and paying the price. However, of the 9 unfamilar albums this was one of them. I come home from work, very eager and excited to hear something new. There is an inverted cross on the album cover, but it's Black Metal so that's 9/10 albums. I crank it up and start blastin' ready for... Jesus Christ 20 Tracks of some basement dweller bashing my spirituality? First song is a pleasant surprise. Lyrically it appears to be of the Nordic Pagan variety rather than the satanic variety. It has better production that I was anticipating as well. This might not be so bad. There is no bass guitar to be found, the guitar tones are standard black metal affair. The riffs are generic but solid enough. There is some ambience to dress it up a little bit, and this is the first sign that it's about to go wrong. "If we layer enough shit on top, maybe nobody will notice that we actually don't have anything new or exciting to offer." It's fine, it's fine, let's endure this and slap a 2.5 on it. Then the 2nd track starts... Acoustic guitars and a soft womans voice... YEAH THAT'S FUCKIN METAL! 

No it isn't, it's shit, and I don't need another hour of this to know that it's shit. Into the dumpster it goes, hopefully never to return. Thankfully I know that Arckanum is up next. 

Gazes From the Cold, Stone Window

Nachthymnen is a remarkably mature release for a sophomore Black Metal album in the mid-90's, being as elegant as it is crushing and evil. Resonating medieval bass drums, acoustic guitars, and female vocals are woven into to Black Metal melodies to form something that almost sounds fully symphonic, especially in the middle portion of the album, but then reverts back to classic Black Metal to keep the album driving. Since this was released in 1995, I can only imagine Abigor was quite the fan of Emperor and wanted to try their hand at incorporating as many symphonic elements as possible. While they can sometimes feel thrown in just for the hell of it, they're used so often that they become a big part of the album's overall feel and character, which I really enjoyed in the end.

From the very beginning the symphonic elements are front and center, with a synth-like trumpet fanfare proclaiming the album's beginning, giving the listener the sense that Nachthymnen is going to be a bit more than just a blistering Black Metal album. It creates a great contrast between melody and riffing that all sticks to the same cold and medieval theme. The production and mixing isn't nearly as rough as I figured it would be either, with the symphonic elements being just as powerful as the metal ones, especially the big resonating and theatrical bass drum in tracks like "The Dark Kiss". The Black Metal drums are pushed back a little too far as per usual, which is a shame because their drummer puts on a pretty amazing performance throughout the album. I really feel there's no end to amazing Black Metal drummers even in the earlier years of the genre.

"Scars in the Landscape of Gods" and "Dornen" really up the ante for the symphonic and theatrical performance and this sort of style really kept me engaged through this somewhat repetitive album. I do enjoy Black Metal riffs, but there has to be something else supporting them for me to really feel attached to them. The two songs listed above, as well as the album as a whole, do a great job of having memorable sweeping melodies to go along with all of the chaos. While I wouldn't call Nachthymnen an all-time great, this is definitely a gem that has a distinct atmosphere and style that I particularly enjoy in Black Metal.

Abigor created some truly unique and brilliant black metal albums and Nachthymnen is no exception.

After Orkblut completely destroyed me (in the best possible way), I was looking forward to a follow-up a heck of a lot. I didn't have to wait long as Nachthymnen came out just a few months later. I think at first, I was a little disappointed that Abigor had made a more straight up black metal album after Orkblut had contained so many wonderful little interludes and a whole plethora of medieval instrumentation. But it didn't take me long to realise that the band had lost none of their creativity and had instead managed to mix a lot of this ingenuity into the black metal itself, allowing for a far more seamless experience that would reveal more and more on every listen.

The production went up a notch with the blast beats having a lot more punch than on previous Abigor outings. In fact, Thomas is an outstanding drummer that never gets enough praise and he somehow manages to perform some of the guitar for the album as well (one assumes not at the same time). Peter's riffs and melodies always contain a strange and unique element that I love, and this album has some truly beautiful work indeed. The way he mixes acoustic guitar into the opening track is breathtaking to say the least! Silenius' vocals are great as usual. He sounds unlike anyone else in the scene and somehow his style is perfect for both the intense black metal of Abigor and the more bombastic, symphonic musings of Summoning.

Yet despite getting over my initial disappointment and finding another great release by these Austrians, I must admit that Nachthymnen is by no means perfect. The female vocals are a nice addition but are unfortunately a bit hit and miss, and a couple of the tracks towards the end don't quite hold the level of brilliance displayed early on. But Abigor were certainly one of the most exciting bands in extreme metal back in the mid-nineties, and while they couldn't keep this high standard going for very long, no fan of black metal should be without their first few albums. Highlight tracks are Unleashed Axe Age, Scars in the Landscape of God, Dornen and Revealed Secrets of the Whispering Moon.