Abysmal Grief - Misfortune
Regen Graves - Guitar, Labes C. Necrothytus - Vocals, Keyboards, Lord Alastair - Bass and Alexander Baël - Drums make up the Italian Horror Doom Metal band known as Abysmal Grief. Since forming in 1995, they have slowly built up a reputation of being one of the finest exponents of 70's influenced proggy occult doom obsessed with subject matter such as Divination, Occultism, Funereal Mysticism and of course Horror. In fact most of their tunes sound like they come from some 70's Italian horror movie and they nail that sound and style through simplistic music that is full of creepy and slightly morbid atmosphere. Since 1998, they have recorded demos, split albums, EP's and a couple of singles including the classic "Hearse" single released in 2002. Of course it was limited to 666 copies, what else would you expect from a band like this. The first full length album was released in 2007 and the CD version included a couple of bonus tracks, one of which was a cover of Paul Chain's Occultism. The "Misfortune" album is beautifully packaged in a very thick and heavy 4 way gatefold digipak adorned with great artwork of a graveyard scene on the inside and the purple and black color scheme is very striking. Its released on the amazingly good Black Widow Records, they have also have something to do with the Horror Records label. As a added incentive to purchase this disc it even comes with a bonus video of "Crypt Of Horror" which is the third track of gloom to feature on "Misfortune".
"Ignis Fatuus" (watch the Youtube video below) begins with medi-evil chanting to set up the dark and damp atmosphere that continues to flow through the entire album. Atmosphere is the key word when it comes to describing Abysmal Grief and "Ignis Fatuus" is a perfect opening track to this album of morbid curiosity. Basic doom riffing that sounds like it is set to standard tuning is joined by a churning church organ sound and Labes C. Necrothytus growling croon is menacing but has a very infectious style about it. The guitar solo that takes the song to its demise it pure 70's inspired greatness, while the band sticks to the basic Saint Vitus kind of plodding groove, they also surprise you with some inventive touches and the guitar solo in this tune and others are a major part of this album's excellence. "Cadaver Devotion" is up next and the song's title explains what this is all about and its a sinister, bizarre musical journey that would fit in any number of obscure gore flicks. Here is a lyric sample....
Failure through damnation
Grimness breaths that make them crawl
Celebrate this great tragedy
By evoking desperate souls
Walk the way without lights
Mourning clothes for the Quest
Touch the corpse, feel its charm
Prepare the rite...
Organ is again the centerpiece of the track and again its very creepy and the sound coming out of the instrument is pure vintage. With no disrespect to Abysmal Grief, this the kind of organ sound that your grandmother might have got 50 years ago. I always thought that ancient sound was kind of eerie and on the Misfortune album, the sound is a perfect vehicle for creating these kinds of depressing hymns of doom.
"Crypt Of Horror" follows with a sickening sample of what sounds like worms chewing through your flesh, it could also be footsteps in a stone covered graveyard, whatever it is, its spine-chilling and effective. More Saint Vitus styled sinister riffing and rather than simply playing the riff this time, the organ is the background supplying pure notes of horror. As I previously mentioned, the music of Abysmal Grief is simplistic so don't expect big dramatic riff changes but do expect sounds rarely heard within the Doom Metal genre. "Crypt Of Horror" has a keyboard solo like nothing else heard in the last few years, its really hard to find the words to describe it but its weird. Another lyric sample....
The smell of dead which fills the air
Exalts your mournful realm
I leave the place of light and sun
Where people fear the gloom
And silently I celebrate
The World beyond the tomb
"The Arrival Of The Worm" is like a soundtrack to someone awaiting a exorcism and the spoken word accompaniment delivered in what I think is Italian makes your flesh crawl. Easily the most depressing and darkest track here but also the most easily forgettable but still it adds to the already overwhelming dark atmosphere. "The Knells Accurse" slithers through your soul for over 7 minutes but without vocals, a great instrumental that is the most diverse offering on the album. The organ, keyboard, synth work is again the driving force to the piece and its magical and flawless with many subtle but interesting twists and turns along the way. The final track is the 13 minutes of "Resurrecturis", starting off with the most crushing riff on the album, this is depressing dirge made for the Traditional Doom fan that wants music made to reflect the doldrums they face in their daily lives. When they sing "We're entering the Reign of Gloom", you better believe it. The added wind- like sound effects contributes to the overall bleakness and despairing guitar riffs also add even more gloom. Its a fitting finale to the album and then you get the added pleasure of the bonus video directed by Lorenzo Zeppa which is almost worth the purchase price alone.
Sure this album is basic, a little repetitive in parts and a bit on the cheesy side of horror doom but its a engaging listening that flows remarkably well. The cold atmosphere is maintained throughout and the production is vintage but seriously warm and rich with earthly tones. The debut self-titled album was very good but this one is even better as it seems more complete with no filler moments to be heard. A soundtrack to your next visit to your local graveyard, this album people will love or hate but I can't stop spinning this disc from Abysmal Grief. Highly recommend this one.
"Ignis Fatuus" (watch the Youtube video below) begins with medi-evil chanting to set up the dark and damp atmosphere that continues to flow through the entire album. Atmosphere is the key word when it comes to describing Abysmal Grief and "Ignis Fatuus" is a perfect opening track to this album of morbid curiosity. Basic doom riffing that sounds like it is set to standard tuning is joined by a churning church organ sound and Labes C. Necrothytus growling croon is menacing but has a very infectious style about it. The guitar solo that takes the song to its demise it pure 70's inspired greatness, while the band sticks to the basic Saint Vitus kind of plodding groove, they also surprise you with some inventive touches and the guitar solo in this tune and others are a major part of this album's excellence. "Cadaver Devotion" is up next and the song's title explains what this is all about and its a sinister, bizarre musical journey that would fit in any number of obscure gore flicks. Here is a lyric sample....
Failure through damnation
Grimness breaths that make them crawl
Celebrate this great tragedy
By evoking desperate souls
Walk the way without lights
Mourning clothes for the Quest
Touch the corpse, feel its charm
Prepare the rite...
Organ is again the centerpiece of the track and again its very creepy and the sound coming out of the instrument is pure vintage. With no disrespect to Abysmal Grief, this the kind of organ sound that your grandmother might have got 50 years ago. I always thought that ancient sound was kind of eerie and on the Misfortune album, the sound is a perfect vehicle for creating these kinds of depressing hymns of doom.
"Crypt Of Horror" follows with a sickening sample of what sounds like worms chewing through your flesh, it could also be footsteps in a stone covered graveyard, whatever it is, its spine-chilling and effective. More Saint Vitus styled sinister riffing and rather than simply playing the riff this time, the organ is the background supplying pure notes of horror. As I previously mentioned, the music of Abysmal Grief is simplistic so don't expect big dramatic riff changes but do expect sounds rarely heard within the Doom Metal genre. "Crypt Of Horror" has a keyboard solo like nothing else heard in the last few years, its really hard to find the words to describe it but its weird. Another lyric sample....
The smell of dead which fills the air
Exalts your mournful realm
I leave the place of light and sun
Where people fear the gloom
And silently I celebrate
The World beyond the tomb
"The Arrival Of The Worm" is like a soundtrack to someone awaiting a exorcism and the spoken word accompaniment delivered in what I think is Italian makes your flesh crawl. Easily the most depressing and darkest track here but also the most easily forgettable but still it adds to the already overwhelming dark atmosphere. "The Knells Accurse" slithers through your soul for over 7 minutes but without vocals, a great instrumental that is the most diverse offering on the album. The organ, keyboard, synth work is again the driving force to the piece and its magical and flawless with many subtle but interesting twists and turns along the way. The final track is the 13 minutes of "Resurrecturis", starting off with the most crushing riff on the album, this is depressing dirge made for the Traditional Doom fan that wants music made to reflect the doldrums they face in their daily lives. When they sing "We're entering the Reign of Gloom", you better believe it. The added wind- like sound effects contributes to the overall bleakness and despairing guitar riffs also add even more gloom. Its a fitting finale to the album and then you get the added pleasure of the bonus video directed by Lorenzo Zeppa which is almost worth the purchase price alone.
Sure this album is basic, a little repetitive in parts and a bit on the cheesy side of horror doom but its a engaging listening that flows remarkably well. The cold atmosphere is maintained throughout and the production is vintage but seriously warm and rich with earthly tones. The debut self-titled album was very good but this one is even better as it seems more complete with no filler moments to be heard. A soundtrack to your next visit to your local graveyard, this album people will love or hate but I can't stop spinning this disc from Abysmal Grief. Highly recommend this one.
1. Ignis Fatuus
2. Cadaver Devotion
3. Crypt Of Horror
4. The Arrival Of The Worm
5. The Knells Accurse
6. Resurrecturis
