So now that it is finally online, do we treat it as a 2023 or 2024 release?

Well.... it came out last year, officially. The reason it hasn't been available online, bandcamp or streaming platforms is most likely because it was released on World Terror Committee, which has essentially been blacklisted from basically everywhere.

That's cause Abigor despite being a relatively huge name in the scene, are unapologetically fascist sympathizers (outside of espousing it in their lyrics) so their new records always fly under the radar. Serves them right.

Yeah, but their previous album was also released on World Terror Committee. And it's on bandcamp, so I don't really get it.

https://luzifer.bandcamp.com/album/tots ... s-songbook

A huge step down. Totschläger was one of their best but this one is a mess. Too unintentionally goofy for its own good and most of the different clean vocals don't work.

Also, as others have stated, they are pretty sketchy. Is that Mikko Aspa I hear on some tracks too?

Honest question: How are Abigor sketchy? I've heard some of their records, but I'm not really familiar with the members or their history.

They are friends with members of the band Absurd and have played with them as session musicians.

Let's not forget that the infamous Hendrik Möbus also wrote the lyrics to one of their songs "The Dark Kiss".

As for the album itself, it's pretty good overall, though I think their previous album Totschläger is a bit better. Everything from "Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age" to "Satanized (A Journey Through Cosmic Infinity)" is still their best period imo.

i worshiped Abigor in the 90s but have struggled to get into any of the 2000s albums
i can see it going the same way with this one unless they've done something extraordinary
will put on the 'to listen to' pile for another time

I love Leytmotif Luzifer and really liked Totschläger too. I probably won't pre-listen to this but I've heard that it's more avant-garde and out there than the previous efforts which is a great thing for me.

This sentence is so funny to me, I can't imagine why an organization with a name like World Terror Committee would be blacklisted

I'm really only familiar with their album Opus IV which I really enjoy, but I have listened to parts of Fractal Possession and the first half of Time Is The Sulfur, definitely need more time to listen to those but I guess I'll check this one out afterward. A very eclectic sound indeed, what interested me in the band was reading that it's speculated that TT was involved with Deathspell Omega's Fas album, and to me it seems more than plausible when you hear those solo-y sections that are high up on the fretboard in Abigor's stuff, as well as a couple other little frantic mannerisms that don't really appear on any of DSO's other albums. I'm still sort of getting into the more industrial/electronic aspects of some black metal which they employ, it put me off for awhile very early on since that wasn't really what I was looking for but I think it can definitely work when done well.

Silenius is one of my favorite vocalists ever so I’m always excited to hear an album with him singing. But oh man, what a disappointment, this album’s a confused mess. There’s nothing avant-garde about it, it’s just disjointed, the riffs feel uninspired and emotionless.

+1 to the comment that the music sounds goofy. The lyrics and their delivery in Cult of Elder Chaos are peak cringe.


The official reason as given by the band:

Yeah I'm not really liking this one. I was annoyed that I couldn't give it a listen before the "album of the year 2023" lists were submitted, but now I know that I wouldn't have included this one.

I really liked Totschläger..., especially Silenius' vocals, but I think they missed the mark with this one.

EDIT:
Also, yeah they are sketchy as far as black metal goes, but I think their initial run of albums is incredibly good, so they get some credit for that even if you may want to avoid giving them your money. Orkblut and Nachthymnen in particular are some of the finest black metal ever.

If someone would be kind enough to post the lyrics I, for one, would be very appreciative.

Bought the Bandcamp version but they weren't included. The alt master is pretty nice though. Just a slightly more dynamic version. Guitars are a little less "sharp" which I find enjoyable.

The usual guilt by association thing. Formerly buddies with Absurd. (Given Absurd's importance in the German/Austrian BM scenes, getting Hendrik to write one of your song's lyrics in the mid 90s is a lot like Darkthrone getting Varg to write lyrics on one of their tracks.) Although the Absurd/Abigor connection is ancient history by now--Abigor don't touch politics with a 10 foot pole, and these days Hendrik takes every opportunity to badmouth Abigor's music and conviction every time they come up on the forums he's at.

But yes, that's Mikko on the new album, if that bothers you.

I don't get this modern technical smartypants Abigor. The level of musicianship is pretty high but there's no atmosphere at all. For me the peak of the band is around the late 90s when the use of thorny, dissonant riffs was ramping up but it was still in the service of that classic 2nd wave BM medieval atmosphere.

A superb release that I think deserves multiple listens, pretty hard album to get into, but in my opinion is a rewarding experience.

Sorry for necro-ing this thread but I just have to say I just got the LP in the mail and without a doubt had I heard it last year it would be my album of the year and especially the best black metal album of the year. It’s astonishingly good. This is the evolution of black metal.

Sonically challenging production. Industrial in ways.

I like that you didn't engage with anything anyone wrote and then made it seem like everyone was overreacting by only focusing on the Absurd connection. You obviously have never checked out Thomas' Facebook page. Anyway, that's not to say their politics are necessarily in the music itself, but yes obviously Abigor are sketch people in terms of their personal political beliefs and it's silly to pretend otherwise and make everyone else tired while it's all out in the open for anyone to see. His latest post on March 19 showing off his letter correspondences with outspoken neo-Nazi/09A/MMP dork Michael Morthwork and being sad about how much he misses talking is one example, but yes not to mention their active alliance with WTC, Mikko Aspa, etc. are all enough for a reasonable person to consider them "sketch". Obviously, if that doesn't bother you, then obviously go ahead and support the artist, buy the album, etc., but don't waste everyone else's time here pretending we're the ones that are all being ridiculous.