Album Academy

What a better flagship album to start this blog with. A calm sense of serenity and ocean waves, lulls you into a false sense of security before the overwhelming sensation of dread washes over. The 2022 album from An Abstract Illusion, Woe, is an absolute mastercraft. Every tone drives you into a new level of hopelessness. Don’t let the initial clean vocals deceive you. The music quickly transitions into powerful growls, uncovering an undying agony. The group’s previous ventures into more progressive and technical metal definitely shines through in polished moments of wonder. 

Every break leads you into a different adventure, curious as to which level of absolute infernal and existential pain you will be led to. There is no part of the album that feels repetitive. It’s a fresh take on a genre long lost to blast beats and filling space with noise. The trio from Sweden takes their musicality seriously. From face melting solos to haunting piano breaks. 

Woe is a 59 minute journey down to the depths of hell and up to heavenly heights. It truly is an album as beautiful as the album art. If you are ever to judge a book (or album) by its cover, it should be this one. An Abstract Illusion manages a feat few groups are capable of. There are no muddled down lyrics, betrayed by overly aggressive guitar chugs. There aren’t drum fills where it’s not needed. The bass is CRISP on a level I’ve only heard in bands like Beyond Creation and yet NONE of it is too much. Oh, and did I mention, they have a fucking oboe solo? Yeah. For an album, about killing God, and the horrors of heaven itself, an Oboe solo. 

Right after that solo, you get greeted by a bluesy solo Clapton could only dream of noodling. Tear Down This Holy Mountain is a painting just as grandiose as the mountain in which it is named.

Woe is less of a metal album and more of a meditation on the darkest parts of our very souls. The beautiful insight you can gain from turning off the lights and turning up your headphones is absolutely stunning. Prosperity lifts you by the skin of your very soul. An organ bellows as if entering the gates to Valinor. You may be fooled again. By the time you get to Blomsterkrans, a perspective will have changed. Blomsterkrans in itself is a much needed reprieve from the epic journey. A chance to rest. However, this rest is less of a beer at the bar with the buds, or a celebration. It’s a chance to grieve. A chance to feel the undying pain of the rest of the album. The haunting piano and guitar swells give way to a sullen, heartbreaking soliloquy, building into violins crafted specifically to make you cry. Then the drums. As if your heart wasn’t beating hard enough. If you haven’t cried enough just wait. 

Then wait again. For In The Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster is the ultimate culmination of the perfectly curated album. No second of this 14 and a half minute song goes unutilized. You thought that organ was just for a feel good journey into the heavens above? Think again. The devil took over and boy is he angry. The battle is a hard fought one and the many challenges you’ll face are accentuated, until finally, you’re freed. But This Torment Has No End, Only New Beginnings. The ending of our meditation. Gentle guitar flows into an ending that nearly ruins the message of the song name. Nearly. Each note is filled with emotion, pain, anguish, loss.  What a great note to end on. And nothing but a banger of a song to drive home this emotional exploration of an incredibly underrated band. 

But don’t take my word for it. Give the album a listen yourself. Comment your thoughts down below. You may agree, you may disagree. But I hope you will give it the fair chance it deserves as one of the best concept albums of the decade.