Whilst it is a band new to me, Finland’s Abbot apparently have the best part of a shared twenty year history that encompasses stints as a covers band, punk, hardcore, metal, and acoustic folk before it all came together in the form of debut album ‘Between Our Past and Future Lives’. With a fair old eclectic background, what does this first ever album, released on an Italian label that specialises in hard rock and doom, bring as a distillation of that experience?
Opener ‘Child of Light’ starts with a nice enough sleazy guitar riff, the simple stripped back rhythm harking back to a heyday of hard rock where there wasn’t a million and one categories designed to pigeon hole and define music. There is even a nice little harmonica solo thrown into the mix near the end of the track to up the retro feel. This same no frills ethic continues with ‘Diamond Heart’, an approach no doubt enhanced by the band’s decision to go with an all analogue production. Indeed, there is more than a hint of the garage about the lo-fi presentation of the music, the whole apparently even being initially recorded onto old tapes. ‘Grave Encounters’ follows with a bluesy drag, the laconic vocals getting rather lost back in the mix, whilst the guitar solo sounds like a bit of a work in progress. Whilst I can only admire the band and their dedication to the retro, it does give the whole thing a bit of the feeling of a demo about it, a sound rather at odds with the finely put together and illustrated CD that arrived for review.
‘Moonsnake Child’ follows at a moderate trot, whilst ‘Supermind’ starts with a classic blues rock swagger, with the title track having a delivery that I’m sure would have Dr Feelgood blaming it on milk and alcohol. Indeed, the whole album had a real pub rock sound to it, as typified by the white boy blues of ‘Mr. Prowler Man’ sounding like nothing more than a cover of an obscure B-side first recorded in the late sixties by Free or Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
There is nothing on this album that is particularly new or exciting, and whilst not every album has to be riddled with originality to be good, and yes I am a fan of both AC/DC and Motorhead, ‘Between Our Past and Future Lives’ just tends to cruise along, the tracks not making a particular impression beyond “yeah, that was okay.” What I would say is this; if the band were playing at a local bar I would be more than happy to nod along pint in hand, and if they were the openers to a main act, I’d be glad I came in early to catch them, as is my wont. Their punk edged heritage may well lend itself far better to being played live in a sweat pit venue than it does to being listened to sober on a bright and crisp afternoon at home. Would I deliberately go out of my way to see them at their current level of development? That’s a different thing entirely.
(6.5/10 Spenny)
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