Abeyance
Experience Is The Words That Are Written
6.3
If there's one band whose musical output I enjoy, but whose influence I absolutely abhor, it's gotta be Meshuggah. Admittedly, I'm not even that big of a Meshuggah fan, but I'm glad they went where they did with Chaosphere. I think that sort of ambition is good for metal. Polyrhythmic half-thrash played by bazillion string guitars for a whole hour? Great, really. However, if you take away the intrepid spirit of their trailblazing albums, all you're left with are anodyne and generally soulless compositions. There are, in fact, plenty of bands whose work would best be served locked away from the less adventurous minds of America's youth. Enter Abeyance, who in the process of aping a good deal of bands whose originality and innovation were their only saving graces, have managed to make a pretty disappointing album.
Where do I begin, I mentioned Meshuggah at the beginning of the review, but Abeyance have got their hands in plenty of other cookie jars as well. There's your typical burly Disembodied meets At The Gates rumbling, a concept that's well on its way to being pounded into pure atmosphere. Think Dead to Fall without the hilariously awesome lyrics. "We: The Unsung Heroes" features an off-time breakdown spliced with dissonant chord strokes that speaks to the band's affection for The Dillinger Escape Plan and Candiria without capturing the essence of either. "Moment of Clarity" displays some great ideas, namely the arpeggiated intro and the more standard breakdown about a quarter of the way through that is spiced up with some driving octave chords. Actually there are plenty of individual ideas, but rarely do they translate into worthwhile songs. Take for example, "...And I Truly Walk Alone" which is a hauntingly melodic and well developed number that is totally stripped of its character by the inclusion of gang vocals. "In Between Social Niceties" is the most promising track on Experience is the Words that are Written. While it's really nothing more than a standard American metalcore tune, the stunning melodic bridge, intelligent duel guitar interplay, and pulsating breakdown are a testament to the band's own capabilities, and not those of the bands they wish to emulate. Furthermore, the bottom heavy production that accentuates the band's loose and confidant execution seems to hint that this band is just a few steps away from respectability.
What we have here is a talented group of musicians that have sadly mistaken sounding like the originals for originality itself. With time, I'm sure the bands for acumen for melding their influences into something more coherent will develop. For now, they're just languishing in middling mediocrity with all the other bands they seem so desperate to distinguish themselves from. I expect something much better from this band next time out.
