Album Review: Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence (Agonia Records)

American black metal act Abigail Williams returns with ‘A Void Within Existence’, the long-anticipated sixth full-length album and the follow-up to 2019’s critically acclaimed ‘Walk Beyond the Dark’. Set for release on July 18th via Agonia Records.

Thick with dark atmosphere, unrelentingly intense, and hellaciously harsh, Abigail Williams might not be reinventing the blackened wheel here, but once again, they define it and with that, showcase more of their own personal evolution. It’s spectacular, seven tracks of brutish brilliance that are covered in thick layers of dark atmosphere and morose melody. If you’ve loved what Abigail Williams have done to date, then you’ll love this too.

Let the gloomy heaviness consume, Abigail Williams are here and with it comes a level of blackness that few others can ever dream of matching. Starting things off in riffy style with Life, Disconnected, before unleashing a torrent of eviscerating heaviness that comes right out of the most anthemic parts of hell. It is spectacular, and I say that without any hyperbole at all. The powerful ending, which features wild soloing, is to die for.

Yet it shares equal footing with the blistering Void Within and the monstrous Nonexistence. Abigail Williams not only at their most layered sounding, but them at their most brutal sounding. Both tracks deliver all-consuming heaviness, showcasing dark and devilish soundscapes, while being furiously strong, and unforgettably heavy.

Though, if you thought the former was a short and sharp blast, Still Nights is something else completely. Best summed up as a cacophony of raw black metal delivered in Abigail Williams’ inimitable style. Exceptionally creative while having a familiarity about it.

Then, things start to expand more, not just in song length but in song structure, beginning with Talk to Your Sleep but following into Embrace the Chasm. Where Abigail Williams’ display heft and force, wildly experimenting with depths of heaviness, crafting an array of memorable melodies, delivering flashes of delightful head banging inducing rhythm, and expanding their creative limits in remarkable fashion.

If all of that wasn’t enough though, Abigail Williams wrap up this very special new album with something even more special. It’s No Less Than Death and it embodies the brilliance of this band with its wickedly morose, gorgeous, haunting, and hellacious sound. Staggeringly good, but of course it is, it’s Abigail Williams and that is what this album is. A stunning Abigail Williams album.

Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence Track Listing:

1. Life, Disconnected
2. Void Within
3. Nonexistence
4. Still Nights
5. Talk To Your Sleep
6. Embrace The Chasm
7. No Less Than Death

Links

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