Sorry, was on a 5 day holiday with my wife, but here I am, back again with another unsung classic.Call it an offshoot or the significant other of Merciful Fate; the fact of the matter is, King Diamond, in his solo career, gave more memorable music than Merciful Fate could ever dream of. I know, blasphemy!! but that is my honest opinion. I don't deny the fact that Melissa and Don't Break The Oath are responsible for pioneering and revolutionising black metal, along with Venom's aptly titled Black Metal, but when I listen to them today...they sound dated. One could argue that they were released way back in 81,83,84...and it's also partially true. What do you have to say to Ride The Lightning(84) or Back In Black(80) or even Slayer's Show No Mercy(83)though. Do these sound dated at all?....no way. Neway..getting back to the point..King Diamond, in his prolific solo career of 13 albums,has given the metal world much to cherish..Fatal Portrait,Abigail,Them,Conspiracy,House Of God & Puppet Master. But it is Abigail that stands hands and shoulders above the rest of them. The music on this album, or any other KG album for that matter, is not strictly black metal. I like to call it as Heavy Horror Metal:). KG albums almost always have a story behind them, horror stories!! Abigail also has a story; The story of Abigail Williams, the little girl(supposedly evil!!) who was killed in her mother's womb and then buried in the house. How she's resurrected, and then killed again by the black horsemen is what the story is all about. I just gave you the jist of it, if you're intrigued, you must listen to the album and read the booklet that comes with it:). As with any other concept album, Abigail can be enjoyed best when you listen to it through and through; each song has something to add to the story and the atmosphere. King Diamond's vocals can be an acquired taste...as for me..I just love them...those falsettos are to die for..right up there with Rob Halford..maybe even better. the guitar work on this album is simply AMAZING...I would say this album has one of the 10 best rhythm/solo performances in rock/metal history(released in 1987, now that's saying a lot...isn't it). The dual guitar attack ranks right up there with Iron Maiden. Some Maiden and Priest influences can be found in the music...but it has a very special identity of its own nonetheless..and its definitely thrashier than anything Maiden or Priest have recorded. The overall atmosphere of the album is very dark, and you can feel it right from the chilling opener in Funeral. Although there really are no standout tracks...as each track is as classy as heavy metal can get, but for the sake of checkout tips, I'm gonna say..listen to A Mansion In The Darkness,Omens,The 7th Day of July 1777,,,,,,...you know what screw it!!...I really think you should listen to all of 'em;). Each song is a masterpiece on it's own. Word Of Caution: If you only listen to nu-metal and metalcore, a la Unearth,Killswitch Engage,Linkin Park,Disturbed,KoRN,StaticX etc. you might find it hard to like this. Before giving this a try get into Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept, Helloween etc. This is not music with groovy hooks and catchy 2 and a half note riffs, but metal technicality and virtuosity at it's very best.
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Rating: 9.5/10
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