Summon the Beast

Not many people seem to pay attention to this record, let alone the band, which is a side project of all three members of Hypocrisy. The Abyss is a short lived project, releasing only two records during its lifetime. Image wise, Peter Tagtgren, Lars Szoke and Mikael Hedlund chose not to embrace the visual aesthetics of generic black metal like fellow household monikers Marduk or Dark Funeral. However, the music that they crafted under this banner is noteworthy as being unique and strong, with rich flavor blended in second wave black metal goodness.

Far from being just another goofy act, The Abyss delivers eight consecutive blows to the heads of Christians so strong that each one doesn't survive to tell the tales of how painful it was. First heard on Nuclear Blast Death is Just the Beginning IV compilation, Satan's Majestic Empire unleashes unimaginable fury upon pressing the play button. The production is quite well balanced. While rhythm guitars are generally set to be mid-driven distortions, the overall sound is maintained throughout and is of course exceptionally consistent. The atmosphere is purely evil in nature, similar to Heaven Shall Burn... When We are Gathered by Marduk. Here, the feeling is pretty straightforward. It is evil but it is also brimming with hatred for all things holy. Mikael Hedlund also puts on a great performance, occasionally sharing the mic with Lars Szoke especially on the opening track and Feasting the Remains of Heaven. There is also a brief solo in the title track Summon the Beast at around 02:30 mark and again in The Hymn. Nothing special but I would describe the lead guitar as psychedelic and space-like in nature. Somehow that solos don't actually sound out of place after repeated listens. With tremolo pickings aplenty, the rhythm guitars don't really progress that much. Again, this album is rich in very dark atmosphere thanks to the cleverly crafted riffing. Just listen to the repeated riffs in Cursed (I think it's the bridge-chorus section). It builds up a sense of foreboding malevolence known only to few. Those who appreciate this kind of black metal will understand what I'm trying to say.

You can definitely hear the bass guitar on this record. It is not exactly buried low in the mix like ninety per cent of other black metal albums playing in this style. The toms are explosively heavy whenever Peter Tagtgren sprays his fills around the drum kit. This is especially interesting with the booming double bass which sounds amazing even on normal speakers. Peter also plays bass guitar and being a recording engineer, he knows exactly what to tweak and how to equalize the mix perfectly so nothing is left out. From technical stand point, the drumming is samey and monotonous. It's blast, fills, blast, fills all the way. This record weakest point is also its strongest. Although the drums don't accentuate the rhythms by a wide margin, they have to be played that way to keep up with the fast paced, one-track mind songwriting. Like I said, this album is very straightforward. No time is wasted noodling away in senseless technicality just because they can. The Abyss is making a statement and you better pay attention. Satan is everywhere. Paradise is demolished with the blood of Christian lambs raining down upon the Earth once Satan unveils his majestic empire. While at it, the rebel souls are blessed with the wrath of evil, damned for eternity over their mutiny in overthrowing the kingdom of God. These Satanic rebels then summon the beast by reciting the hymn from cursed scrolls. Once the invocation is complete and the beast has risen, all that's left to do is feasting the remains of heaven, finally waiting for the arrival of a new eon where religious ones are forever dead.

Highly recommended for fans of no nonsense black metal in the veins of Gorgoroth's Pentagram, pre-Panzer Division era Marduk, and old Dark Funeral. Great songs? I think all of them. Plus, this album is short, clocking just under twenty nine minutes and shouldn't be a chore to listen to.

The Abyss's debut album, The Other Side, is hands down one of the best albums of the black metal genre, in spite of not being recorded by "real," "true," or "kvlt" black metal musicians. It had everything that was necessary to black metal (in my humble opinion): blast beats, tremolo picking, raspy vocals, and a sinister and depressing atmosphere.

Now, Summon the Beast does not skimp on the blast beats or tremolo picking, but the depressing atmosphere is sadly lacking, as is the variety that made The Other Side so enjoyable. Each song on the debut album had its own character about it, which can be somewhat rare in black metal. Summon the Beast lacks character, and barring a few passages, namely the "chorus" of "Satan's Majestic Empire" and "Damned," it's blast-blast, screech-screech from start to finish, with little or no variation. This outpouring of aggression is blinding, brutal, and actually quite boring. You can turn on any song on this album and won't know which one it is. When it's over, absolutely none of it will stick in your head. And come to think of it, it really doesn't even sound that evil, just pissed off.

I cannot argue that Summon the Beast is well executed and well produced, because sounds at least as good as the Other Side. But it really feels like there wasn't a whole lot of thought in putting together good songs or even coming up with good riffs. I expected a lot more out of Peter and the boys.

The Abyss is an amazing band that just never got the attention they deserved. Maybe people couldn't take them too seriously since people were used Hypocrisy and didn't enjoy the band trying black metal for a change. In any case, this is an album you should definitely check out if you're of black metal or Peter Tagtgrens' work. Check out this album.

There are many good points about this album, but we also have lows as well. The singing on this album isn't anything too special. It isn't awful, but it's somewhat bland and boring and just seems to be more of your typical, same old black metal vocals. The guitar work throughout most of the album is executed well with excellent riffing and tremendous speed.

Alright, time for the bass work. This is what stands out more than anything. The bass work on this album is fucking amazing, being fast-paced with several awesome solos and is just pure, ass-kicking bass lines, contributed by Peter.

The drums (which are also done by Peter) are kinda repetitive at times, but are still good. Like the guitar and bass work, you have awesome, fast-paced drumming with decent fills. The last thing I have to say about this album is that it's too damn short. It's only 29 minutes which kills my rating for this album slightly because I wish there was more to enjoy.

Pros: awesome guitar work, astounding bass work, and pretty good drum work.
Cons: typical, stale vocals and album length.