Thursday 15 June 2017

Abrams - Morning (Album Review)


Release date: June 09th 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD/Vinyl

Morning – Tracklisting

1.Worlds Away 03:25
2.At The End 03:49
3.18 Weeks 04:44
4.Rivers 02:46
5.Can't Sleep 04:50
6.Burned 03:57
7.Mourning 06:15
8.Die In Love 03:25
9.In This Mask 04:57
10.Morning 03:47

Band Members:

Zach Amster -Guitars and Vox
Taylor Iversen - Bass and Vox
Geoff Cotton - Drums

Review

Abrams new album - Morning - is a heavier and more progressive record than their debut album. Abrams focus more on aggression on this album though the album is very melodic for certain parts of the album.

Opening track - Worlds Away - comes straight at you with an almost hardcore punk sound before the Sludge/Stoner Rock sounds become the main focus of the entire the album. The vocals from have a spiky and vibrant feel to them with the music flirting between heavy sludge rock grooves to the more soulful stoner based riffs. Abrams have an almost classic approach to song-writing on their music. As the lyrics make you feel involved by telling an intriguing story whilst offering exciting and muscular action packed sounds that will soon get under your skin.

Second track - At The End - feels like it could have come off the most recent Baroness/Mastodon albums whilst still sounding remarkably fresh and original. The song drifts into more post-hardcore territory though when the familiar Stoner Rock grooves appear, Abrams seem to be taking lessons from Mos Generator, especially with the vocals. Add these all together and you have one of the albums standout tracks.

The opening two tracks show you what to expect on the rest of the album with Abrams sticking to the same winning formula on the other eight tracks on the album. Though that doesn't stop the band changing their sound on different parts of the album. As the mood does become more progressive as time goes by. Songs such as Rivers, Cant Sleep, Mourning, In This Mask and Morning is where Abrams really excel at and perhaps when the album truly comes to life in all its musical technicolor glory.

The album has many moments of uplifting style sludge/stoner rock where the band add elements of psychedelic/progressive rock to give the album a more refined and highly emotional feel. One of the albums main strengths is Abrams use of different genres and sounds on this album. It allows the album to possess a real positive and hopeful message. I don't know if that was the band's intention with this album but the song - Rivers - will leave you in a more positive frame of mind with the interchanging riffs moving from Post Rock to Stoner Rock and then to a heavier style of Sludge Rock.

Even though I rate Abrams debut album very highly, there were certain parts on that record where I wanted the band to play heavier sounds and not the mellower riffs that actually appeared on this album. Abrams have no such worries on this album. They've created an almost perfect balance between the heavier and mellower sounds that appear on the album. It makes Morning a more interesting and exciting album than their acclaimed debut album. Though listening to that album for the very first time in a long while, maybe I judged it too harshly.

Morning feels and sounds like a natural progression from their debut album. Morning is a truly exciting and outstanding album on all counts.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

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