Review By:
LordSubD
02/15/04

Abney Park was really my first introduction to an independent label band, and the Goth music scene in general. I found them a few months ago whilst searching on the now defunct MP3.com for music that was different; something that would stir the imagination and tickle the senses. Tired of all the death metal bullshit that I’d been subjecting myself to for far too many years, I decided that I needed to expand my horizons, hence I took a look at the Goth section and found that the top band (for the number 1 through 4 spots I believe) was Abney Park. I couldn’t help but be intrigued. The first song I had the privilege of listening to was Blackday, which became an instant favorite.

The Music

Abney Park’s music provides a great amount of variety in style and tone. While not greatly relying on electric guitars, they are definitely there. The guitar work is not overly technical, but shows enough variation to not get boring. Robert’s lyrics are sometimes personally inspired (check Twisted and Broken), and other times just completely imaginative (check Tiny Monster). There are often two general types of lyrical styles out there, the kind that read like a story, and the kind that are more repetitive in their lines. AP’s style is more of the latter, but that’s certainly not to discredit them. Songs like Child King blow that theory out of the water, but in general, it’s an accurate assessment.

Synth is not something that I was a fan of in the past. In fact, I was dead set against it. I do remember having many healthy arguments with a blue haired buddy of ours in programming class about the use of computers in creating music. Now, almost 10 years later, I can admit that I was wrong because computers CAN make beautiful music. AP’s use of synth is wonderful, and it’s not the same ol’ Boom-Crack-Boom-Crack shit that you hear those ravers getting excited about. It’s quite the opposite. Robert’s creativity in the synth department is near that of Reznor and the likes of The Cruxshadows. Out of all their songs (about 30 I think), a do have a few select favorites: Thorns and Brambles, Blackday, Child King, Tiny Monster, and The Root of All Evil.

The Line Up

Robert Brown (front man and synth writer) has a very distinctive voice, which sometimes borders on being a cross between Billy Idol and Peter Steele (of Type-O-Negative). In addition to synth, the band employs a flute player (Madame Archel, who is also a Gothic Model), a guitarist (whom is currently a guy named Rob, apparently the same guitarist that Abney Park started out with.), a bass player (Thomas), and a keyboardist (Kristina). I gather that their guitarist lineup has changed a little over the past, as there was mention of another guy, Joey, who left the band to pursue his own project, Xanther. That’s right gang, no drummer here, and that’s fine by me.

The “Down to Earth” Scale

If there were such a scale, I suppose it would go from 1 to 10, just like every other scale out there, 1 would be “In Outer Space”, and 10 would be “Feet Buried in the Ground”. Without a doubt, Abney Park would get a 10. I have talked with Robert a couple of times on different subjects (check out their public forum), and he is a genuinely good guy (that hates humanity, just like me!).

Madam Archel, while being a top rated Gothic Model, does not appear to be full of her self, but seems to be pretty pleasant. She even responded to one of my posts about Voltaire (a future review on Voltaire to come), saying what a nice guy he was. Robert has said in different interviews that the people in Abney Park are specifically picked as the “Down to Earth” type. The band even had a hard-core fan fly up to Seattle from the Southern US (or maybe it was Mexico) to hang out with them, which they were totally cool with.

I really hope that this review does Abney Park justice, although it’s not as detailed as I would like it to be. I do love the band and want them to do well in their music career. Yes, they are not signed to a major label, YET, but I expect that to chance very soon. At least one label had talked to them before, but bailed because their name (the label that is) was mentioned to the fans before the deal was sealed (bastards!). My wife and I listen to Abney Park on a regular basis, whether while sitting at the computer, in the living room, or in the car. My 5 year old has also declared that Blackday is one of his favorite songs, and can sing along to it pretty well (although the “flesh is burned to cinder” lyric is a little disturbing coming from a 5 year old!).

Please do yourself a favor and check out their music here.

From here you can pickup their CD’s, or pay for access to all of their songs for a limited time (that’s what I did, and it was well worth it!).