Abigail Williams - Legend Review
by Matt Hensch
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I need to begin this review by saying I have no discrimination against the metalcore scene or any bands that participate in it. I'm also not a black metal elitist whom has hatred toward groups that try to fuse the unholy genre with something else. With that out of the way, I can honestly say I know why both the metalcore scene and the black metal elitists scorn Abigail Williams. I was originally suckered into buying this EP because I was convinced it would be a neat forgery of two separate sounds with a touch of creativity, but that's the exact opposite of what Legend is. Though the idea sounds promising, Legend is just a chunk of trash with few good moments.
Abigail Williams mainly focuses around the melodic riffing and drumming found in most metalcore groups. The guitar work resembles the typical "-core" trend with recycled melodic riffs that don't sound original or creative. Most of the riffs sound too much alike and it's hard to tell apart each song as they all sound way too similar. There are some average solos, but they can't uplift the overall guitar effort in any memorable way. The drumming has its moments, but like the guitars, it's all just the same stuff you'd find in any metalcore band.
I would assume people think Abigail Williams received their "black metal" influence from the symphonic keyboards used during Legend, but I want to tell you otherwise. Ashley Jurgemeyer's keyboards are far from anything remotely black metal and sound gothic more than anything. The keyboards have a big role in Legend, which is pretty cool from my standpoint. Jurgemeyer has some good lines throughout most of the tracks and she adds all the pleasant qualities to this EP.
The listener is damned to hear Ken Sorceron and his horrendous vocals throughout this twenty minutes of putrid s***. Sorceron sounds like that cretin from The Lord Of The Rings who was just punched in the throat. I usually don't have a problem a vocalist with a strange voice, but Sorceron is annoying beyond belief. Hearing this guy shout and growl is the audio equivalent of someone scratching a chalk board. The annoying mixture of screaming and growling spreads an illness of uncorrelated crap that almost drove me nuts. I typically don't mind the metalcore vocal style, but Sorceron's singing is probably one of the most horrid and appalling examples of it .
Abigail Williams is already digging their own grave with Legend. The band's poor attempt at combining metalcore and what they call "black metal" is a formula for disaster that probably won't impress too many people. Nothing they do is consistent, enjoyable, or even remotely memorable, so just avoid Abigail Williams and their atrocious debut.
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Abigail Williams - Legend Rating:2.7
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