Что представляет собой второй альбом группы, ставшей одним из флагманов российской фьюнерал дум сцены? Начну с оформления, пожалуй. А оно как раз под стать музыке: сдержанное и без излишеств. Сам буклет, кроме стандартной информации, дополнен концептуальными фотографиями,а на последней странице этого издания из плотной бумаги, в самом её низу, можно заметить перечёркнутую “козу”. Что лишний раз подчёркивает то, что это не та группа, под которую можно весело поколбаситься и устроить слэм с хаеромаханием, как это,увы,имеет место быть даже на тематических фюьнерал дум концертах в виду крайней необразованности абсолютного большинства некоторых металистов. Сам диск оформлен ещё более мрачно и лаконично- он полностью отражает музыку, которую в себе и содержит

Музыка же с первых секунд наполняется горечью обречённости. В каждой ноте, в каждом звуке это можно прочувствовать. Безбрежная скорбь наполняет пространство, она словно бы выплёскивается из инструментов и самих участников группы. Гитары, всей своей озлобленностью обрушиваются на привычный мирок слушателя, вклиниваясь в его сытое существование, вокал, дополняя, разбивает последние остатки надежды на лёгкую и спокойную жизнь. Барабаны ещё больше усиливают ощущение фатальности. И эта тьма начинает медленно поглощать того, кто осмелился к ней прикоснуться. Глубокие клавишные звучат холодно и безысходно, хоры, едва начиная звучать, тут же эхом разбиваются на сотни мелких осколков.

Второй трек звучит ещё более устрашающе. Симфонизм всё так же гудит на все лады, “шатаясь”,как сознание доведённого до отчаяния человека. Кажется, мелодии не могут найти равновесие, ужиться сами с собой, поэтому и стараются сделать со слушателем то же самое. Напор в звучании ещё больше усиливается, музыка становится ещё плотнее, вокал становится ближе.

Далее (это уже кажется совсем невероятным) звучание уплотняется ещё больше. Симфонизм духовых инструментов становится более сумасшедшим, а сама музыка- более давящей. Гулкие и прерывистые удары барабанов вместе с гитарами создают ощущение того, что это на крышку гроба бросают комья сырой земли. А трубы всё гудят…в один момент на передний план выходят тревожные и безумные одновременно клавишные, будто торжество злого, безумного гения, выпустившего созданное им зло в этот мир, и уверенного в том, что все его враги будут уничтожены.

В последнем треке звучит леденящее завывание ветра. Безумство музыки, и особенно симфонизм,постепенно стихают, отдаляясь.

Из всего похоронного дума, что я слышал, на меня такое же впечатление произвёл только альбом Ahab- The Call Of The Wretched Sea. Именно при прослушивании этих альбомов у меня появилось ощущение того, будто меня закапывают живьём. Совсем не трудно было представить нечто подобное под соответствующее музыкальное сопровождение: холод и кажущаяся бескрайней, тьма могильной ямы, тяжёлый деревянный ящик, который спускают туда. И как только это происходит- все, что таилось в том, другом мире- мгновенно, быстрее, чем снежная лавина, обрушивается на прибывшего в царство терзающее душевной болью, горечью за бесцельно проведённые годы.

Author: Grimmsberg

A Rússia está a tornar-se um caso de sério relativamente ao número e qualidade de bandas que tem dado a conhecer nestes últimos anos. Neste mesmo espaço. já pudemos dissertar um pouco sobre alguns trabalhos que foram lançados durante este ano e, no cômputo geral, o panorama é bem satisfatório.
E parece que irá continuar, depois de algumas audições a este “Tragedy And Weeds”, o segundo longa-duração dos moscovitas Abstract Spirit. Vinculados à Solitude Productions, desde o lançamento de estreia, anteve-se, logo, algo bem negro e, na realidade, deparamo-nos com um colosso de Funeral Doom ao longo de 6 longos temas (em que a média ultrapassa os 11 minutos), bem pesados, lentos, com guturais bem encaixados na estrutura dos temas, que nunca se tornam maçadores dada a variedade (dentro do possível) implementada por este trio. A inclusão de teclados, em alguns momentos, enfatiza ainda mais a atmosfera que se quer criar com este álbum. Os títulos dos temas que compõem este registo espelham bem o ambiente desolador que se pode contemplar durante este manifesto de negritude, que afinal perfazem a essência deste sub-género.
Não sendo um portento de criatividade, este lançamento que nos chegou da fria Moscovo para as nossas frias noites de Outono e Inverno até se revela uma boa surpresa a que podemos/devemos (riscar o que menos convier) escutar enquanto lá fora a chuva cai em fortes bátegas.

Author: quinta-feira

2nd album for everyone’s favourite Russian Funeral doom metal act. 62 minutes split in 6 tracks one more time released by Solitude Productions.
The beginning of the long title track contains spectral voices, nightmarish atmospheres and desolation feelings. The mournful march of the typical Russian tradition evoked by the keyboards and the demonic vocals represent the icy on the cake; on the other hand, the keyboard lines, the ghostly vocals, the gloomy bass and of course the slow drum pace form the song’s core.
“Funeral Waltz” is near My Dying Bride’s style, yet the Moscow 3-piece displays more penetrating guitars and offers additional witch-like vocals in the middle.
“Crucifixion without Regret” (what a great title) sees the recurse to Russian traditional keys lines again and a teamwork between Death vocals and other disquieting ones; still, the bottom of the abyss is reached during the ruthless part which I quote: “Quicksilver tears…down, punishment for me…now, forgiveness or lashes…strife, what is between me and ashes…life?” Listening to this song equals to being crushed by a collapsing boulder, disrupting one’s inner organs to a long and excruciating end, whereas “Face the Nightmare” gives few melodic gleams of hope mixed with insane keyboard touches.
One guitar like a giant marble slab waving and the second as sharp as a surgeon’s knife open and close “Wrapped in Solitude”, while the rest of the composition is a detailed analysis of a desperate person on the verge of suicide.
Finally, the long “Sepulchral Winter” seems akin to Skepticism, but the Russians use two guitars and the keyboards, therefore they have more opportunities to add nuances; moreover the final guitars are played in a a way that makes them sound like enraging violins, so the result is really quite interesting; as far as I know, I’ve not heard the Finns render their songs in this manner so far.
Superb arrangements, depressive lyrics and a fabulous artwork constantly related to death, cemeteries and rich in vintage photos probably shot during Leningrad’s famine make me suppose this record will stand the test of time and stay with us for years; “Tragedy and Weeds” is not just a fleeting glimpse or memory of 2009.

Author: MARKUS GANZHERRLICH

One more release from the camp of “Solitude Productions” and again the band from Russian Doom Metal front. This time Abstract Spirit presents its second album “Tragedy and Weeds”. Strange, the band mixes Funeral Doom with Death/Doom, however the music is too less dark to be called Funeral, and too melancholic and atmospheric to be called Death/Doom… Nevertheless, there are plenty of things, which make the album rather interesting. First, this un-clarity makes the album attractive and pretty original (I’m not an expert on the Doom scene, but I haven’t heard many bands of such styles); second, there are the wind instruments. It could be that the sounds are made with keyboards, but this is a rather uncommon and successful addition to the music.
The album is made on slow frames and the music is rather typical to Funeral Doom style. However, the vocals make the music more similar to Death/Doom. On the other hand, there is no big gap between those two styles in the vocal aspect, but I feel that “Tragedy and Weeds” has too much features of it. This is very slow, dark and a little bit brutal Metal. Does this conclude that the band should focus more on the Funeral part instead? Well, could be, as I see much potential in it. I would prefer to hear and see more attitudes towards atmosphere, emotions and mood instead of heaviness and brutality.
And again, the quality and the creativity of the album just prove the solid situation in the Russian Doom scene. If I need to call just one band of this style from the Eastern region, probably EA would be in the first place. But Abstract Spirit with its “Tragedy and Weeds” is very close…

Author: Odium

Я, конечно же, страшный лодырь и тормоз, поэтому и сподобился публично побрызгать своей вонючей слюной на этот уже позапрошлогодний релиз только сейчас. Но пройти мимо я никак не мог, ибо с одной стороны группа обратно записала шедевр, ни в чём не уступающий первенцу, а с другой, что бы там ни говорили, но оба альбома достаточно сильно различаются между собой. На “Tragedy and Weeds” можно констатировать ощутимый скачок куда-то в сторону от влияния Comatose Vigil. Наверное, куда-то в мрачные дебри первого полноформатника Shape of Despair с его монотонным гитарным чёсом и околовальсовым ритмом. Но Abstract Spirit, в отличие от несколько сопливых финников, во-первых, этим не злоупотребляют, а во-вторых, используют куда более зловещие мотивы (“Face the Nightmare”) и адовые гармонии, порой граничащие с диссонансами (“Tragedy”). Наряду с периодически выплывающими из ниоткуда жуткими завываниями и едким налётом блэковых тремоло и скримминга, всё это дело придаёт музыке весьма пугающий, психически нездоровый характер. Плюс ко всему, необходимо отметить неимоверно удачное решение пригласить на запись альбома Незнайку, который в нужных моментах немного подудел в трубу. Именно его бесподобная игра местами превращает эту музыку в самый настоящий погребальный марш, неказисто исполняемый пьяным жмур-оркестром (“Funeral Waltz”), нагоняя ещё больше жути, мрака и безумия. За всем этим как-то теряется та сказочная атмосфера, что была свойственна дебютной работе. То есть, конечно, оная здесь обнаруживается тоже, и совсем даже не в малых дозах, но полноправно ей удалось пробиться на передний план сквозь основную звуковую агонию и горячечный бред лишь в самом конце альбома (“Sepulchral Winter”). Но и там вскоре тоже появился адский Незнайка со своей ужасной трубой, беспощадно затоптавший все благие начинания обратно в сырую кладбищенскую грязь. Ну и туды их в качели. Это же вам не какие-нибудь “брахмажопы” и прочие “вицлипуцли”. Это именно та музыка, которая обязательно будет играть в вашем доме… Но вы её уже не услышите.

Author: Darth KIA Cacophonyx

Funeral Doom is an acquired taste. Its ultra-slow pace makes it inaccessible to many fans, for its emphasis is not on melody, instrumental virtuosity, nor rhythm. Rather, it prizes atmosphere, and it demands submission into a mood that appeals only to a niche audience.

Nothing on this sophomore release from ABSTRACT SPIRIT will bring new listeners into the fold, for it adheres to all of the conventions of the genre. “Tragedy And Weeds” will, however, generate true excitement among existing fans, as it offers a fresh interpretation of these conventions while still delivering the atmosphere that the form demands.

This album comes across as a single, epic-length dirge. While many other works could be similarly described, this album conjures a mood that truly is, well, funereal. Instrumental in this (no pun intended) is the frequent use of a solitary horn to move the melody along. This is not a crisp, brassy, Baroque sound at work here, but is rather of a more muddled timbre, resembling that of a trombone in the hands of a novice. To these American ears, this sound conjures images of a New Orleans funeral dirge, one during which a Jazz band proceeds slowly down a grimy street, playing a somber tune as a casket is borne along on the shoulders of mourners toward its final resting place in an old graveyard. (For those unfamiliar with the practice, once the casket has been interred, the same musicians parade back whence they came, playing a lively Dixie tune in celebration of the life led by the recently departed. But I digress…)

The overall sound on this album is full-bodied, and the band eschews that more spartan approach of some (though certainly not all) practitioners of Funeral Doom. Not so much a wall of sound, the music envelops the listener, suffocating him in a sonic blanket. This enclosure adds to the despondency that already exists here. This is not the sound of despair; this is the sound that creates despair.

It is somewhat ridiculous to assert that Funeral Doom can bring joy to its listeners, since that would be the antithesis of the genre itself. However, that a band has innovated so much within a genre with such strict conventions is cause for delight. “Tragedy And Weeds” pushes the genre forward while still working completely within its confines. ABSTRACT SPIRIT have achieved something remarkable with this.

Author: Steve

Funeral doom has sort of found itself in a bit of rut over the last few years, and for the main part it’s pretty hard to find any project that’s kicked off since about 2006/2007 which has really impressed. Sure, of the hundreds of bands popping up, most are pretty easy on the ears and don’t make bad music, but most of them are pretty by the numbers, giving off nothing more than an easy approximation of main concepts of the genre, but not ever touching the haunting elements. They don’t seem to be able to make the same atmosphere of the pioneers. Luckily, Abstract Spirit get it. This is slow, mournful, and yeah, pretty melodic, but this isn’t a half assed cobbling of drones and keyboard melodies, this is crafted to be as ethereal and misty as possible, the band just get it. The closest approximations in sound would Skepticism with a taste for Ea-like melody, but this is well composed, thought out, atmospheric music. It never feels lost or bored, this is a tight project.

Like a lot of these more melodic takes on the style, this is a little bit quicker than the genre usually permits, but the band really nails the funeral mood and performs it well. This isn’t melodic by way of lead guitars or dominant keys, the way the music itself moves is smooth and constant, rather then chunky or plodding, the pacing is simply perfectly reminiscent of a slow procession and it works perfectly.

The band doesn’t really try anything out of the ordinary, this is slow midpaced guitars playing simple, crawling riffs, epic floating keyboards guiding the music in a more atmospheric direction, lethargic drums, and deep, cavernous vocals echoing throughout and not a whole lot else. The brilliant simply lies in the execution, as I’ve already mentioned, this album gets the funeral atmosphere better than anything I’ve heard in 3 years, but it’s also got a sense of purpose and goal. The music isn’t stagnant, it’s always crawling forward, and with this it manages to be an equal to Ahab or Monolithe in terms of being exciting and interesting, without ever really shifting away from the basic tenants of the style.

The sound here is pretty much flawless, the rhythm guitars are low, distorted and completely uncompromising, the lead guitars are clean and beautiful, but not so clean to take away from the sinister side of the band. Along with this the keys are used in a symphonic and grand manner, not unlike Shape of Despair in approach, but more restrained and willing to take a back seat to the doom. The drums are full and powerful helping the band carry on thier mournful march, and the various growls are as bottomed out and gurgled enough to become a part of the bleak sound scape, while not fading into the background or missing out on any feeling of power. There is no awkward feedback or problems with tone, the production job is utterly perfect.

Negative wise, I can only think of the one, which happens to be the one area where they’ve tried to be out and out unique, weird brass/horn samples. I guess they were trying to follow in the footsteps of the Finnish doom masters and were trying add in some kind of weird instrument like Skepticism’s trademarked hammond organ, but the horns sound really out of place and ridiculous. This is most noticeable during the middle of “Crucifixion without Regret”, but they pop up in a few sounds and they’re pretty goofy at the best of times. Other than that I guess you could complain about a lack of out and out originality, but honestly when the execution is this good it doesn’t matter.

Tragedy and Weeds is a late kick for a style on a downward path, and deserves a lot more praise than many other popular albums around right now. It’s nothing new, but it’s the general mood and atmosphere which makes this album stand out, rather than any new ideas. Anybody who hasn’t completely given up on the genre should definitely give this a spin, and even if you have, it’s worth a try.

Author: lord_ghengis

Antes de qualquer coisa, se tu és daqueles que somente ouve bandas extremas e rápidas, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock e com alguma velocidade então nem se atreva a ouvir esta banda russa. Pois o que temos para ouvir durante uma hora e oito minutos divididos entre as seis musicas do track list é um Funeral Doom Metal de primeira grandeza. Portanto se você não está acostumado ou não sabe apreciar esta vertente do Doom Metal nem ouse conhecer esta excelente banda. O álbum em análise aqui é o segundo de sua carreira, o anterior é o “Liquid Dimensions Change” de 2008.

Um fato que me chamou a atenção ao ouvir este novo álbum foi perceber que a banda manteve intacta toda sua soturna sonoridade, com uma velocidade bem lenta e que denuncia o estilo praticado. As suas musicas são densas e irradia uma tenebrosa e fúnebre melancolia, a arte do encarte retrata bem isto com fotos dos membros dentro de um necrotério e um caixão bem destacado. Eu destacaria entre as seis musicas do seu track list a terceira. “Crucifixion whithou Regret”, pois tem todos os elementos supracitados e por ter instrumentos de sopro sutilmente encaixados em toda esta morbidez. Altamente recomendável, merece ser (re)conhecida!!

Author: Jaime Amorim

Nimen keksiminen bändille on tänä päivänä helvetillinen urakka, ainakin jos ei halua rykäistä kasaan ties mitä Anal Vomitia. Koska venäläisen Abstract Spiritin kohdalla kyse on enemmänkin henkisen kuin fyysisen tasapainon järkyttämisestä, kuulostaa nimi periaatteessa sopivalta. Mutta toisaalta: mikä olisi sitten concrete spirit? Entäs tuo levyn nimi sitten? Tragediaa ja ruohoja, vaiko kenties murhenäytelmää ja kannabista? Listaa voitaisiin jatkaa ainakin Crucifixion Without Regret -biisin (“voi ei, mitä mä nyt menin sen tyypin ristiinnaulitsemaan”) ja edellislevyn Liquid Dimensions Change -tittelin (siis, häh?) verran, mutta se ei liene enää tarpeellista.

Abstract Spiritin äidinkieli ei ole englanti, eivätkä sen esittämän musiikinkaan juuret liiemmin ole venäläisiä. Pikemminkin kyse on jatkumosta, joka palautuu esimerkiksi Shape of Despairin kautta aina Thergothoniin ja Skepticismiin saakka. Tarjolla on siis sydämen vajaatoimintaa vastaavia tempolukemia, kuolonkankeita kitarariffejä, karun melodisia liidejä, synkeää syntikkamattoa sekä pikemminkin korahtelevaa kuin koreilevaa örinää.

Levyn biiseistä tasapainoisimpia ovat mielestäni kieltämättä nimensä veroinen masentava tanssikappale Funeral Waltz sekä muita biisejä melodisempi ja sävykkäämpi, hieman 90-luvun alkupuolen brittidoomailun puolelle kallistuva Sepulchral Winter. Wrapped in Solituden äärimmäisen väsyneet demppausriffit ja heikot kitaraliidit saavat biisin puolestaan kuulostamaan tylsän ohuelta, kun taas Face the Nightmaressa bändi yrittää hetkittäin gootahtavalla piano-outoilulla repiä pesäeroa levyn muihin kappaleisiin – laihoin tuloksin, voin sanoa. Kokonaisuudessaan levyn tarjonta onkin tyylilajissaan tavanomaista mutta ei myöskään täysin toivotonta.

Author: Antti Korpinen

The new album however “Tragedy And Weeds” shows some real progression and a change into more high quality production and more focused song construction. The material is still total Funeral Doom but sounds more mature and the songs sound more well thought out and arranged. Like “Liquid Dimensions Change”, there is another 6 songs of depressive melodies, bleak atmosphere all played slow with the guttural growling vocals still there in check. They use the sound of sound of wind instruments to create a even more “Funeral Like Feeling” and while the style hasn’t changed much, there is certainly more to this album compared with their previous effort. This music often promotes feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness which is the whole point behind “Funeral Doom” and this band creates the mood for those emotions very well indeed. No track stands out anymore than any other, they all reek of the same sounds and quality but “Tragedy And Weeds” beats “”Liquid Dimensions Change” hands down in my opinion. Perfect music for your next day of heavy rain and howling winds.