Review Summary: Despite some iffy structuring, Abyss is another fantastic album from Chelsea Wolfe.
Chelsea Wolfe is an experimental singer-songwriter from Sacramento, California. Since her 2010 debut The Grime and The Glow, she has incorporated sounds from the spheres of folk, electronica and heavy metal into her music. Drenched in gothic imagery and hinged upon her haunting voice, a Chelsea Wolfe song is the kind of thing that makes you stop whatever else you are doing and listen.
As her career has progressed, Wolfe has delved ever further into the world of metal. She has opened for pulverising bands like Sunn O))) and Swans, and even covered a song by notorious black metal artist Burzum. Aptly titled Abyss, Wolfe's fifth album sees her embrace the void once and for all.
The two songs released ahead of the album, “Carrion Flowers” and “Iron Moon”, saw Wolfe experimenting with heaviness in wonderful ways. “Carrion Flowers” features the kind of crushing electronics one might associate with industrial artists like Author & Punisher or Nine Inch Nails, which contrast beautifully with Wolfe's ethereal vocals. “Iron Moon” also juxtaposes Wolfe's voice with sonic intensity, this time with a bone-shattering doom metal riff.
Delivering on those songs' promises, Abyss features more stunning examples of loud-meets-quiet, heaven-meets-hell experimentation. “Dragged Out” sports a stoner metal riff worthy of one of that genre's defining albums, Sleep's Dopesmoker. “After The Fall” alternates between tombstone-littered verses and explosive choruses.
What is frustrating, however, is that these heavier songs are all grouped together on the first half of the record. The latter five of Abyss' eleven songs are of a distinctly quieter nature. Don't get me wrong, the songs themselves are gorgeous. “Crazy Love” sees Wolfe return to her folk roots with newfound confidence, her voice fogging up the sonic picture as spectral violins lurk in the background. “Survive” is another lovely slice of twilit folk, all crumbling acoustic guitar and echoing dissonance. “Survive” does reach a percussive climax, but this eventual intensity feels different to the immediate crush of a track like “Carrion Flowers.” Penultimate track “Color of Blood” features heavy synthesizers, but uses them in an ambient rather than assaultive way. The grime is still there, it's just noticeably less pronounced.
Due to this odd choice of tracklisting, Abyss divides rather neatly into an 'intense' first half and a 'slow-burning' latter half. Wolfe is a woman of remarkable creative vision, so I can only assume this arrangement is deliberate. And it's not like albums with a murkier second half can't be masterworks (Dark Side of the Moon, Feels and Remain in Light all spring to mind). However, I can't help but wish that Abyss' ferocity was distributed a little more evenly.
Despite some iffy structuring, Abyss is another fantastic album from Chelsea Wolfe. It features some of her boldest songwriting yet, not to mention a lot more protein than any of her previous records. “Carrion Flowers”, “Iron Moon” and spine-chilling closer “The Abyss” all rank among her finest work.
