Candlelight Records today confirms September 28 as the North American release date for In the Absence of Light, the second full-length album from black metallers ABIGAIL WILLIAMS. Recorded at Conquistador Studios in Cleveland, Ohio, the album was mixed by Peter Tagtgren (Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Celtic Frost) and features artwork by Farron Kerzner (Nachtmystium, Lightning Swords of Death).
In The Absence of Light is true to the rules of black metal. The vocals are harsh and shrill, sounding like the product of a lacerated larynx. Guitars buzz, rip and roar alongside articulate, rapid licks and blazing solos. Drums slam and crash like exploding mortar shells, whether battering with blast beats, double-bass rolls or syncopated snare hits. And there is just the right amount of haunting keyboard washes, a noted difference to the band’s previous album In The Shadow of a Thousand Suns. Vocalist/guitarist Sorceron notes, “There is a lot less keyboards on the new songs. I like keyboards, but before we started this record we decided to get rid of a lot of them because we wanted to do something different.”
The album presents new band members, guitarist Ian Jekelis and drummer Ken Bedene. Joining Sorceron after ABIGAIL WILLIAMS’ final tour in support of In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns last fall, the trio quickly got to work writing material that would become In the Absence of Light. The album’s eight songs contain far more urgency then the band’s previous material; songs written exclusively by Sorceron.
“We let ourselves have much more room with writing this album, kind of a more open, free environment than any we have employed before,” reveals Sorceron. “We literally constructed the songs as we went. Ken would be in the drum room and Ian and I would be in the control room and we just played for hours. We would listen back and pick out what we thought was good and we put songs together. We recorded everything with much more ease and I think it has helped in capturing a very honest vibe.”
Formed in 2005, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS have been called “a buzz band,” and “a band to watch.” They have endured more than their fair share of opposition, including revolving door member changes and in 2007 altogether disbanding. But through it all, the core of the band has kept a level head, a steady eye, and an unbridled passion for what they do. The band’s 2006 Legend EP and 2008 debut, In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns (produced by James Murphy and featuring Emperor drummer Trym Torson) have now sold a combined 35,000 in the US. The band has toured exhaustively including their most recent West Coast headlining dates.
ABIGAIL WILLIAMS recently confirmed their first tour in support of In the Absence of Light. Kicking off September 29, the band will perform alongside headliners Immolation and Vader, as well as Lecherous Nocturne and Pathology, for four weeks. Tickets are on sale now.
ABIGAIL WILLIAMS w/ Immolation, Vader, Lecherous Nocturne, Pathology
09/29/2010 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
09/30/2010 Crazy Donkey – Farmingdale, NY
10/01/2010 Club Hell – Providence, RI
10/02/2010 Rocko’s – Manchester, NH
10/03/2010 FouFounes – Montreal, QC
10/04/2010 Mod Club – Toronto, ON
10/05/2010 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
10/06/2010 Blondie’s – Detroit, MI
10/07/2010 Rave – Milwaukee, WI
10/08/2010 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
10/10/2010 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
10/11/2010 Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, BC
10/12/2010 Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
10/13/2010 DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
10/14/2010 Whiskey A Go Go – W. Hollywood, CA
10/15/2010 Galaxy Theatre – Santa Ana, CA
10/16/2010 Ramona Mainstage – Ramona, CA
10/17/2010 UB’s Bar – Mesa, AZ
10/18/2010 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
10/20/2010 Emo’s – Austin, TX
10/21/2010 The Warsaw – Houston, TX
10/22/2010 Marquee – Tulsa, OK
10/23/2010 Uncle Pleasant’s – Louisville, KY
10/24/2010 Volume 11 – Raleigh, NC
10/25/2010 Jaxx – W. Springfield, VA
10/26/2010 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
10/27/2010 Emerson Theater – Indianapolis, IN
10/28/2010 Reggie Rock Club – Chicago, IL
In the Absence of Light Track Listing:
1. Hope the Great Betrayal
2. Final Destiny of the Gods
3. The Mysteries that Bind the Flesh
4. Infernal Divide
5. In Death Comes the Great Silence
6. What Hells Await Me
7. An Echo in Our Legends
8. Malediction
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