Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age

Spinning Abigor’s debut Verwüstung / Invoke The Dark Age in 2021, it would be simple to dismiss them as derivative imitators of the giants of classic second wave Black Metal (most obviously Emperor, who they share the most significant similarity with). However, the chronology places them much closer to the epicentre of that particular cultural earthquake than they are generally given credit for, this album arriving in the same year as Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse debut full-length, as well as a host of other classics of the black metal canon, not least Transilvanian Hunger, and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. It is clear that, in fact, Abigor should be considered alongside the masters, rather than classified alongside the many also-rans of the genre. It’s possible that Abigor’s geographic displacement is partially responsible for some overlooking their contribution to the development of the genre, black metal existing as a relatively insular and outsider scene in 1994, some way removed from the global phenomenon that it is today. Where Scandinavian passports and even the most tenuous links to Euronymous’s inner circle conferred instant credibility on a host of bands, Abigor’s Austrian heritage meant that they were operating in something of a vacuum, even if their membership of the Austrian Black Metal Syndicate was presumably designed to create the same kind of mystique and self-mythological atmosphere that hung like a (funeral) fog around the Oslo and Bergen bands.

The other factor that may have contributed to Abigor’s second tier status is the fact that unlike Emperor or Ulver, they didn’t arrive at their first official release fully-formed and with a perfectly realised sound, and in fact took a few albums to develop their idiosyncratic brand of black metal into its richest and most sophisticated iteration. This is not to criticise Verwüstung / Invoke The Dark Age unduly, and in some respects its flaws form part of its charm and appeal, but we should also acknowledge that although many of the band’s component parts are present and correct from the outset, they have been assembled here in a somewhat haphazard way, without the kind of unlikely fluidity that characterises Nachthymnen, or the outstanding Supreme Immortal Art. The prime example of this is the track that is in many ways the highlight of the album as a whole, ‘Weeping Midwintertears’. The arrangement is utterly frustrating; the first half of the song dominated by an overly melodic and slightly jarring guitar figure that falls a little short of the frigid and frostbitten atmosphere that one feels the band are shooting for, before the tranquil piano and martial drum tattoo instantaneously transport the listener to a pre-modern battlefield setting, conjuring images of a band of pagan soldiers preparing to defend themselves from crusading hordes. The early morning mist settles, until it is brutally lacerated by the scything blade of a tremolo riff so dramatic and rousing that it could drive the most peace-loving hippie straight to the front lines. A riff to fill the heart of the most apathetic with righteous fury and fighting spirit, it is simply a masterful display of metallic supremacy, and a moment unequalled on the rest of the album, but indicative of the kind of inspiration that Abigor are clearly capable of. One can only imagine what Abigor might have achieved with this track one or two years down the line, but as it is, the final two minutes of ‘Weeping Midwintertears’ are the apex of an album full of impressive moments, even if it fails to cohere into a unified piece of work as one might hope it would.

Another integral feature of the Abigor sound, at least during the early phase of their career is the almost romantic yearning for a reversion to medieval times. We see this at various points during this album and the next, not least in their stated titular desire to invoke the dark age, but most overtly during the lengthy intro to second track ‘Kingdom Of Darkness’, which recreates the sound of weary soldiers drowning their sorrows in ale, within the confines of a medieval tavern, before heading once more unto the breach. While not exactly anomalous in the context of the wider black metal scene both then and now, Abigor’s devotion to this aesthetic was especially dedicated, and certainly across their first three albums at least, it was an echo that constantly reverberated throughout their work. For Abigor, this yearning seems to be embodied, both sonically and thematically by an embrace of chaos, which also provides a link with their otherwise difficult to reconcile devotion to theistic Satanism. Indeed, the first part of their dual-pronged title, Verwüstung translates to ‘havoc’, or ‘chaos’, and the way in which the band embrace unconventional song structures, containing numerous tempo changes, together with intricate riffs and counterpoint melodies in the guitars assailing the listener from an array of unpredictable angles is as tumultuous as their grim lyrical content. This restless compositional approach is frequently striking, the band rarely sitting on a riff or melody for very long, and the thrillingly scattergun drum performance of Abigor mainstay T.T. plays a substantial role in a musical backdrop that is constantly arranging and re-arranging itself, a sick kaleidoscope which never stops turning, every beat an opportunity for a lightspeed fill or a slight variation on the double-bass pattern that underpins much of the band’s barrage. This does mean that the band rarely drop into a groove in the way that some of their peers are able to, but it also makes for a fascinating listen, and demonstrates the sheer level of musical ambition latent in Abigor’s early material, an ambition which will ultimately flourish a couple of short years into the future.

It’s worth considering at this point exactly what it is about medieval, or at least pre-modern themes, that continues to resonate so strongly across metal as a whole. A nostalgic, or even sentimental longing for the past can be found throughout much pagan folk metal, with bands across Europe mining pre-Christian (and occasionally nationalist, sometimes unfortunately racist) folk mythology for lyrical content and personal philosophy, and the same can be said for the sword and loincloth end of traditional heavy metal and doom, even if this is frequently blended with a hefty dose of fantasy, and a greater emphasis on conventional notions of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. In black metal (although this does not especially apply to Abigor themselves), this longing often takes the form of a reverence for nature, turning the face of mankind away from technology, and towards the forests and mountains, totems invested with such value-laden concepts as wisdom and purity. In some respects, possibly the simplest explanation for this ongoing fascination is simply that bands such as Ulver, Emperor and more recently Panopticon and Wolves In The Throne Room were and are unavoidably roused by the awe-inspiring nature of their surroundings. Although there is surely some truth in this hypothesis, it also seems possible that there is something deeper at work here. Perhaps metal (and maybe humanity more widely) is most comfortable in a simple, Manichean world; a world in which God battles the Devil, ‘we’ define ourselves in opposition to ‘them’, and morality needs to be no more complex than ‘kill or be killed’. Possible these archetypes represent an escape from a modern world in which intersectional identity politics throw up intractable questions for the masses to squabble over, while we conspire to ignore the inescapable impact of the inevitable climate apocalypse. Before we travel too far down this theoretical road, however, we should note that some of the most exciting extreme music of the 2020s is being made by bands and individuals that address precisely some of these issues, from the folk-noise of Lingua Ignota, to the ambient doom of Divide // Dissolve, by way of the anti-racist spiritual-metal of Zeal & Ardor. Clearly, the different thematic facets of metal can co-exist, and metal itself is capable of becoming a vehicle for a plurality of ideas and identities, although it is likely that the pull of the darker ages will never be something that the genre completely escapes, even if it is just as a contrarian reaction to modernity.

Irrespective of Abigor’s national heritage or philosophy though, on the musical front, their debut is an uneven, but thrilling, mix of everything that characterised second wave black metal in 1994, with a few unique touches that ensure the band occupy a niche entirely of their own. The aforementioned ‘Kingdom Of Darkness’ (once the intro eventually fades) is a riot of treble-heavy buzzsaw riffing and propulsive, clattering drumming, and although the band’s songwriting isn’t as mature as it will eventually become, they already have a good feel for when to rein in their penchant for neo-classical flourishes in favour of the kind of ragged minor key thrash that the band drop into part way through the track, before more intricate guitar work rides the rolling thunderstorm of T.T.’s relentless blasting. This particular track also excavates some classic death metal influences, utilising the kind of infernal harmonies that light up Morbid Angel’s Altars Of Madness to ever so briefly create the kind of sound that might now be referred to as ‘blackened death metal’, although like many of the band’s ideas, it is mercilessly killed almost as soon as it is conceived, as the band are unable to staunch the endless flow of riffs and melodies. At this point in the eruption of black metal, the tectonic plates of metal shifting irrevocably, many of the key players were, of course, distancing themselves from their death metal roots (although Emperor, among others, would ultimately revisit the genre before long), so it is interesting to witness Abigor allowing themselves such a freedom at such an early point in their discography.

‘My Soft Vision In Blood’ is another magnificent highlight, and sees the extensive use of what will become something of a trademark for the band. As if the artillery blast of T.T.’s snare and toms were not warlike enough, the band frequently accentuate their drum patterns with huge, booming timpani hits, for additional dramatic effect. The only band approximately in the same field that do something comparable would be Summoning, a band that also feature Abigor’s sometime vocalist Silenius, but although that band nominally operate within the black metal genre, mainly as a result of their relatively orthodox debut Lugburz, their later use of similar sounds within their Tolkien-obsessed orchestral extremity provides a totally different context to Abigor’s bestial backdrop. As intriguing as this peculiar touch is though, and as much as it contributes to the overall feeling of esoteric weirdness, the real excitement comes from the spidery twin harmonies, building fractal paths to a fiery underworld, brick by brick, each note a step closer to Satanic deliverance. The song is also draped in diaphanous veils of lush and expansive synths, and although to modern ears the somewhat plastic sounds of the keyboards may sound a little hokey, to this listener it is an immediate and goosebump-inducing line straight to the heart of everything that made mid-90s black metal so simultaneously bewildering and appealing, an appeal only deepened by the terrific Burzum-aping keyboard coda.

Even in Verwüstung‘s not quite so spine-tingling moments, it’s maintains a more than serviceable quality. Opening track ‘Universe Of Black Divine’ is hampered by the clunky transitions between sections, and at times feels a little like unrelated riffs and melodies simply stitched together in a way that reveals a clear lack of maturity and experience, but it doesn’t make the classic metal harmonies of the closing lead guitar lines that dominate the latter part of the track any less majestic. Abigor here are a crumbling castle on the precipice of a vertiginous canyon, epic grandeur teetering on the edge of collapse. Similarly, even if the more than adequate ‘Eye To Eye At Armageddon’ sees a more prominent use of synths that lead it a little bit close to Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse for comfort, the icy blasts are still very nearly as awe-inspiring as their Norwegian peers. Furthermore, the slower elements of the song, grinding and oppressive like a gradually spreading plague, combined with the folky melodies that occupy the guitars add something different enough to ensure that Abigor rise above the ranks of mere imitators. The closing track proper, ‘Diabolic Unity’ is one song too far, however; generic black metal that adds little individuality to a Taake / Gorgoroth-style blitz, but on an album that is not particularly lengthy, it is a distant memory before it can create any serious damage to the overall impression of the album. Verwüstung utterly embodies the appeal of mid-90s black metal, at a time when the strangeness inherent in the anti-commercial sounds and tempos, and labyrinthine song structures, had yet to be erased by narrowing genre conventions and stratifying norms. It may not be the kind of iconic work that some of the giants of the genre would release at around this time, and it may not be the band’s most definitive work either, but it is nothing less than a curious and rewarding window into what was happening in the slightly more obscure reaches of the nascent black metal genre in 1994, and still sounds startling and exciting today.

First published here:
https://alifetimeofmusic537956501.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/abigor-verwustung-invoke-the-dark-age-2/

The initial spirit of the so-called second wave of black metal has nothing lost of its fascination during the last decades. Of course, it is long gone, but a handful of bands were able to catch it on their debuts and to preserve it. Abigor's first album belongs to this precious works. The trio from Austria did not play typical black metal, but exactly the individual approach shows the artistic liberty during the early days. These free minds did not think about self-limitation, but they also did not think about the intentional mixing of styles that do not belong together.

Abigor's debut consists of atmospheric sections with almost dreamful guitars, medieval chants and, of course, a lot of harsh, cruel and sometimes icy black metal. The album suffers from its poor production that lacks pressure and vigour - or is this mix rather part of its charm? "Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age" does not sound perfect, that's true, but it expresses all the mental pain of its creators in a fascinating manner. "Kingdom of Darkness" constitutes the first song which bundles all strengths of the band and its eight minutes pass in a flash. This track emphasises impressively that one can spit on conventional song patterns without creating inaccessible, overly complex or progressive pieces. The band has enough creativity to connect its dark force with melodic sequences which hit the target. "Eye to Eye at Armageddon" is another highlight that features the multi-layered competences of the band, although the timpanis of "Kingdom of Darkness" do not reappear here. That's a pity, because they work as a link to the first wave of the sub genre, namely Celtic Frost...

...but they show up again in the beginning and in later sequences of "My Soft Vision in Blood" and add their typical majestic touch. This slow-moving song also belongs to my personal favourites. It drags on and on in an almost painful manner, just like a dying creature on its last meters. Its great ending with a soft melody appears as the saviour of the track, it's simply intriguingly executed. And that's not all, the then still pretty original combination of an ultra-raw voice and a non-metallic, melodic instrumentation gives the first section of "Weeping Midwintertears" a very special note. No doubt, this band saw no boundaries during the recordings, nevertheless, the dudes never betrayed the spirit of the sub genre. Quite the opposite, "Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age" can be seen as a pretty spiritual work. This is not to say that it lacks metallic fury. Abigor do not play softball games, they just add various different impulses. Only the two short keyboard numbers are not really necessary. Silenius should have used them for a Summoning album.

Either way, this album has stood the test of time - and that's unfortunately no matter of course when it comes to Abigor. But this full-length tells us a lot about the early days of the second wave and it holds seven good or even outstanding compositions, written by free minds. Only fools would doubt the leading position of Norway in terms of the misanthropic atmosphere that expressed itself in the first works of the bands from the fjords. Nevertheless, some bands from other countries also left their footprint and Abigor was definitely one of them.

The early 90's were arguably the golden age for black metal, as anyone remotely familiar with the genre will attest. Abigor were a band that jumped on the bandwagon in 1993, and by the following year, their debut 'Verwüstung', or 'Invoke the Dark Age' was released. While much of the black metal years before had not amounted to much more than blastbeats and speedy chord work, Abigor used that mainframe to create something a little musically deeper. This Austrian trio takes the black metal aesthetic to the next level on the debut, although the journey is wrought with faults.

Some black metal bands who did something 'new' with black metal could be often defined in one word. Emperor, for example, brought the 'symphonic' sound to black metal. Abigor are not truly innovators, but they are taking a number of different fresh elements and sweeping them together. Among those, Abigor brings Teutonic chanting, orchestral flourishes and folky acoustics to light. Each of these is done fairly well, particularly in regards to the acoustic guitar playing, which remains subtle. Sadly, the rest of the progressive ideas that Abigor brings to the table are somewhat gimmicky. The fake orchestra sample only appears for a brief moment, and jarringly so. It's moments like this that rob the excellent concepts of Abigor of some of their prowess.

In terms of songwriting, 'Invoke The Dark Age' is best defined by a series of great moments and ideas, rather than overall structure and composition. Abigor's sound is divided between the unconventional elements, and a straightforward black metal sound reminiscent of their Norwegian contemporaries. In regards to atmosphere, Abigor lack the resonance of Mayhem, or the epic gloom of Burzum. One aspect Abigor does excel in is their performance, however. The production is painfully typical, but the guitars and drums play beyond many second wave black metal acts. Thomas Tannenberger displays a profound use of the doublekick, and Peter Kubik's use of melodic guitar lines and powerful solos is very beautiful. 'Invoke The Dark Age' is a very good black metal album, but as one could guess, Abigor would still had much to learn here.

Black metal to me, is of the genres I find quite hard to get my head around and interpret the music the way black metal listeners do. I have people left, right and center throwing me Gorgoroth albums and Darkthrone albums (Although A Blaze In A Northern Sky is awesome.) but none of them were doing it for me. The sub par production that is supposed to contribute to the music’s atmosphere was the main aspect that turned me off from the genre, but I believe I have found the gateway into black metal. One of my friends threw me this album and said: “It’s not as good as Pentagram, but listen to it anyway.” I now laugh in spite of this statement, as this album is by far the best that I have listened to. It is an awe-inspiring adventure into the dark chasms known as black metal and sends the listener into a spiraling abyss into complete nothingness. When I listen to this album, (especially on full volume) curtains drape around me and close everything off. All of my senses are honed in to the album and the music hits me straight across the face.

This album is very powerful in the way it delivers the music. It’s fast, raw and Silenius’ shrieks are filled with so much hate and despair, but the album still manages to leave behind in its trail of destruction a beautiful and captivating atmosphere. At times the music slows right down, showing acoustic pieces surrounded by magnificently written synth passages and even the occasional doom metal influenced riff, but much more melancholic, slow and emotional. The rhythm plays a chord progression, which even by it self sounds great, (No moving around the circle of fifths with this band.) but what really ties a noose around my neck and pulls me into the music is the melody that complements the riffs. They are simply beautiful, especially throughout the song ‘Weeping Midwintertears’, which is one of my favorites on the album. Sometimes the music makes you want to cry, sometimes it makes you want to scream with Silenius, and this is the absolute wonder of albums like this: The emotions that Abigor wanted to channel through their music reaches the listener. You can feel the hate that is lying within the vocals. You can feel the emotion and despair that is manifested within the guitar lines. Who knew the most extreme and somewhat ‘evil’ genre of music could be so beautiful?

Complimenting perfectly to the slow riffs are the fast riffs. The are definitely fast and to the untrained ear might sound like rubbish, but if you dive into the music, the atmosphere explained before is still there, but displays a different emotion: Anger. The blast beats are like a jackhammer being driven repeatedly into your head but still, the guitar riffs give you the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, and continue to display the emotional tremolo picked passages. It is hard to explain exactly why these guitar passages sound emotional. You’ll just have to take a listen yourself. Unfortunately the bass is almost inaudible on this album, but I guess you could imagine what it would sound like if it weren’t there at all. The production isn’t crystal clear, but this aspect is the main contribution to the atmosphere of this album. If it had perfect production, I doubt I would get the same feelings as I have explained before.

For the person who doesn’t listen to black metal, I suggest you give this album a go. It may be hard to grasp at first, and a lot of the music may seem like a wild jumble of random notes and crazy drums, but if you delve into it and really try to connect with the music, you will be greatly rewarded. This band didn’t intend to sound evil, like some black metal bands in the scene. They wanted to channel all their emotions through their music, which is what music is essentially about. The standout tracks on this album for me are: 'Weeping Midwintertears', 'In Sin', 'Kingdom of Darkness' and 'A Spell of Dark and Evil.' No tracks on this album are fillers though and all of them are great. These few just stand out the most for me.

This album is something very special and it’s for sure an enormous improvement over the band’s demos. Before they recorded “Verwüstung” Abigor kicked their vocalist Tharen and replaced him with Silenius, thereby settling on the ultimate line-up of their early days: PK, TT and Silenius. I never liked Tharen’s vocals that much and Silenius sounds a lot better indeed. The production of this album is very good for the time that it was released. Back then most bands went for as raw a production as possible but Abigor got themselves a surprisingly heavy and clear production. This is good because all the metal tracks are re-recordings of demo/promo tracks, so here one gets to hear vastly improved versions of these. Normally I’m not that keen on bands re-recording lots of demo stuff for their first album. However, in Abigor’s case I hadn’t heard any of the demos before I got this album, so this fact doesn’t bother me.

In the early days Abigor were seen by many as being very influenced by Nordic black metal bands but I disagree. To me Abigor’s brand of extreme yet very melodic black metal is unique. Every song (except for the two synth tracks) relies heavily on guitar melodies but the music never becomes even remotely wimpy and more importantly, has nothing to do with melodeath. This is black fucking metal from start to finish. The band also successfully employ acoustic guitars on several tracks in order to create beautiful medieval parts that balance the otherwise ferocious black metal onslaught. Synths are used here and there but way too little for this to be called symphonic black metal, they just add some extra atmosphere. Like many other black metal bands, also Abigor occasionally use kettle drums to add a warlike touch to the music.

Silenius has a very high-pitched and aggressive voice, which fits the material like a glove and takes these tracks to a whole new dimension compared to the demo versions. Tharen, who often sounded like a croaking frog, would only have ruined the brilliant music. At times the vocals are a bit too low in the mix but that’s basically the only real flaw to be found here. Tharen is present on this album though, since he has composed the two ambient tracks: “Beneath A Steel Sky” and “A Spell of Dark and Evil”. The first really succeeds in creating an atmosphere of hordes gathering in order to fight “Eye to Eye at Armageddon”, which no doubt is exactly what it’s supposed to do.

“In Sin” is actually a combination of “Dance of the Dead” and “In Sin” from the first demo. The biggest improvement on this track compared to the demo version is the maniacal blast part with insane screams at the end of the song. Silenius performs this part in a much more insane manner than Tharen did. From “My Soft Vision in Blood” they decided to drop the very last part of the song (with acoustic guitars and whispered vocals) that was on the demo version but this doesn’t matter. The track that has been reworked the most compared to its demo version is “Weeping Midwintertears” (which was called only “Midwintertears” on the “Lux Devicta Est” demo). This new version is almost a minute longer and a lot more impressive than the demo version. They’ve e.g. added a new part to the beginning of the song and the calm part, which on the demo version was played on acoustic guitar, is played on keyboards here. The mood of this part is truly solemn, with Silenius’ harsh wailings contrasting the beautiful piano melody. On the demo the last part of the song consisted only of guitar riffing but on this version they’ve added both drums and vocals to the last part of the song plus some fine acoustic guitars at the very end – fucking awesome! The other tracks follow the demo versions pretty closely with some minor alterations to arrangements. Some tracks are also played a bit faster than the demo versions.

All in all, one of the best debuts ever in black metal. Abigor managed to create a style of their own and I can’t recall hearing many bands imitating them either. “Verwüstung/Invoke the Dark Age” is a unique piece of black metal art.

Quite often, debut albums by some of the leading Black Metal bands are looked back on with a certain degree of condemnation. Take simply Darkthrone’s rather powerless “Soulside Journey”, Immortal’s unfocused “Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism” or even Mayhem’s wholly unrepresentative “Deathcrush” effort. All certainly have their place in the history of the genre but were undoubtedly bettered upon the releases of each band’s follow up album. However, for Austrian Black Metal band Abigor, their debut album shows an inventiveness far beyond that of a band trying merely to settle on the direction of their own sound.

Released in 1994, debatably at the peak of Black Metal’s creative and unique output, “Verwüstung/Invoke The Dark Age” is an album which immediately stands out from the releases of the perhaps more renowned Norwegian bands. Not only is there a strong utilisation of haunting keyboards within the music that was quite uncommon in early Black Metal, but there is also a poignant use of ambient acoustic guitar pieces throughout, both helping to enhance the band’s somewhat Pagan-influenced sound and adding to their creative and unique approach. Tracks such as “A Spell Of Dark And Evil” and “Kingdom Of Darkness” showcase such an ambience and create a definite melancholy atmosphere, devoid of the chaotic nature of some of the less experimental bands within the genre. Furthermore, guitarist Peter’s style of playing is not nearly as one-dimensional and linear as Black Metal often seems to expect. The epic nature of his guitar playing, combined with the ever-changing and often mid-paced drum patterns and an undeniably despondent tone, emphasise a unique talent that does not often show itself on a debut release.

Album highlights “In Sin” and the superb “Weeping Midwintertears” show that emotion and Black Metal can indeed co-exist and are actually an extremely effective pairing, with the sombre and slow guitar riffs duelling with gloomy keyboard passages and a painful barrage of torturous screaming vocals to generate an almost doom-laden mood. Nonetheless, “Verwüstung/Invoke The Dark Age” is an album that should appeal to all fans of Black Metal, as it still maintains many of its traditional traits. Although not as harshly produced as, for example Darkthrone, the sound of the album is clearly primitive and relatively unpolished, with even the keyboards sounding quite coarse in the overall mix. Also, tracks like opener “Universe Of Black Divine” and “Diabolic Unity” emphasise a more conventional and established Black Metal style within the album’s overall distinctive feel.

Not only is “Verwüstung/Invoke The Dark Age” an exceptionally impressive debut effort, but it is a truly unique, if not wholly underrated and unnoticed, gem from a period when mainly Scandinavian Black Metal was on the rise. Abigor offered a different stance when Black Metal’s decrees already seemed fixed and predetermined and so they should certainly not be overlooked as pioneers of intelligent experimentation within the genre.

Originally written for http://www.blastwave.co.uk