Abdullah--Graveyard Poetry
MeteorCity 2002
For doom and "stoner rock" fans, Abdullah's Graveyard Poetry album is one of 2002's most anticipated releases. As far back as their Snake Lore demo, this band has set new benchmarks for melodic doom metal. This is still the case, but Graveyard Poetry sees Abdullah stretch a bit outside of those confines--successfully so.
Although there is a definite progression in Abdullah's sound with Graveyard Poetry, for the most part, things can be described much the same as always with this band. Basically, Abdullah play a melodic brand of doom which sounds like a cross between Alice In Chains and the Obsessed. On Graveyard Poetry, there is a definite focus on the melodic aspects of Abdullah's sound, making the Alice In Chains influence come through stronger than ever. Still, doom fiends will find plenty to like in tracks such as "Black Hellicopters" and the super-heavy "Behold A Pale Horse."
That being said, where Graveyard Poetry really shines is when Abdullah drastically depart from anything familiar to their base sound. On three tracks, "Deprogrammed," "Strange Benedictions," and "Guided By The Spirit," Abdullah play in a style that sounds like Point Of Entry era Judas Priest if former Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna was on vocals. It's a brave move doing material like this considering Abdullah sits on the throne of melodic doom, but it's a move that certainly pays off.
With Graveyard Poetry, Abdullah have managed to further establish their dominance as the world's premiere melodic doom outfit, while simultaneously creating new musical horizons for themselves. It sounds like a sticky proposition, but Abdullah pull things off in a way that makes the growth seem effortless. Certainly a different kind of album in many respects, but still a healthy injection of doom to be had. This one is a keeper.
Score this CD directly from METEORCITY
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