Abyssic‘s last album High the Memory, which we reviewed and premiered here, prompted us to wax poetic

“In these complex and richly textured compositions, which draw upon ingredients of funeral death/doom, black metal, and prog, augmented by classical orchestration (and the use of Mellotron, Minimoog, and upright bass), Abyssic create combinations of crushing power and mystical evanescence, of oppressive gloom and fragile, gleaming beauty. Dread and devastation stalk this vast musical landscape, furrowing the earth with great troughs of misery and despair, while brilliant stars wink overhead, blazing comets streak the night sky, and the borealis shimmers in unearthly brilliance. The effect of these juxtapositions is harrowing and hypnotic, magisterial and monstrous.”

Well, “poetic” is of course a relative term here at our putrid enclave, but you get the idea: This Norwegian band’s music has a way of firing the imagination, and trying to describe it in more conventional terms falls flat by comparison. Now we find ourselves in a similar place, because Abyssic have a new album on the way, and we’re again hosting a premiere to help advance the cause. Continue reading »