Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Abigor - Totschläger (A Saintslayer's Songbook) (2020)

Austrian’s Abigor are a band that I have somehow missed over the years. In fact, the very existence of an Austrian black metal scene was news to me actually. Having never heard much of any praise or criticism of the band they somehow just flew under my radar for the last three decades with only the praise amongst peers that their latest release was met with to pique my interest. Hailed as a return to form in more than one quarter the allocation of this for The North monthly feature release landed at a perfect time to bump it up my to do list.

I find the content on this record to be varied enough to hold the interest and it is delivered with a level of technical efficiency that manages to impress without becoming too showy or ever overly complex. The blend of densely layered riffs and epic song writing make for a keen ear to be needed to absorb all that Totschläger… has to offer. Just as I thought I had the measure of the record on the first listen through the album went off into a storytelling mode that appeared obvious from the moment it happened having reviewed the album title, yet somehow caught me off-guard.

The orchestral stabs of Orkblut (Sieg oder Tod) are perhaps the best example of Emperor-like structures this side of Prometheus…, yet the track itself is built from layer after layer of riffs. Literally piling the guitars atop of one another in some relentless frenzy of melodic and swarming architectural madness. At the same time, the track that follows this one, The Saint of Murder, needs no such assistance from any symphonic elements. With the guitar simply being allowed to host proceedings with its wailing tremolo supported by a solid rhythm section (twangy bass noted also) with actual licks being fired on occasion in the background. Replete with rich and lush melodies, this is the standout moment of the album for me.

After this (although I would not go as far as to say the album dips) things are just less memorable for me. I find that the complex layering becomes a tad fuddled for me on tracks like Scarlet Suite for the Devil and the conscious lean towards to a more epic sound towards the end does feel like it could be dialled down a lot. It almost feels to some degree that the flurry of ideas falls victim to some rush to get them all committed to tape before the end of the record. The dungeon synth opening to La plus longue nuit de Diable/Guiding the Nameless promises more than drawn out tempo of the main body of the track delivers sadly and the folk metal chant and battering ram drumming for Tartaros Rides just loses me sadly as my senses are more than a little lost by this point.

However, negative points aside, Totschläger… is an absolute triumph of a record in terms of being a rare breed in black metal in that it sounds like it was recorded by a band who genuinely enjoyed themselves. There is a real power behind every riff and note that those guitars spit out like fire from the bellies of hundreds of dragons. Whilst, not necessarily unique, those vocals are fitting for the sound of the music and add an important layer beyond the monstrous riffing, giving the opportunity for the mind to track something else a little more dialled down in the mix.