Abigail Williams - Becoming

If 2010’s effort “In the Absence of Light” saw Abigail Williams straying from their symphonic black metal roots towards a rawer, fiercer and some might say purer take on black metal, with this new album, there are signs that they’re still struggling to find their own identity, now introducing some post-rock, lo-fi and shoegaze elements into their sound.

Fortunately, it seems like that with this new approach in style, Abigail Williams are finally striking a chord with the listeners, favouring substance and depth over those rather dubious clichés that have prevented the band from being taken seriously in the past.

Opener ‘Ascension Sickness’ certainly starts things off in the right direction, unveiling a rather gloomy and intriguing atmosphere complemented with some intriguing and captivating guitar harmonies that owe a great deal to the works of Agalloch and Wolves In The Throne Room. What follows is collection of well-crafted, diverse songs that straddle between despondent, contemplative ambiences to rabid, vicious blasts of sonic malevolence.

“Becoming” is not an entirely engaging and utterly rewarding experience, some tunes do drag a bit, but has its moments of wonder that are definitely worth checking out. (7.4/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.facebook.com/abigailwilliamsofficial

Label info: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk