ABDULLAH – ABDULLAH – 2000 (US) psych doom metal

Everything about Abdullah's self-titled debut is middle of the road. They're heavy, but not too heavy; they're technically competent musicians, but uninventive songwriters; they also sit somewhere between stoner rock and doom metal without really committing to either one. Singer Jeff Shirilla's voice borrows equally from Ozzy Osbourne and Trouble's Eric Wagner, but his delivery is almost entirely devoid of any passion. And when they embark on Alice in Chains-styled vocal harmonies (see "Conundrum"), the resulting alternative metal accents just add confusion to the mix. Truly powerful moments, like the doomy final riff of "Earth's Answer" and the acoustic guitar bridge of "Proverbs of Hell," occur much too rarely, and are countered by impossibly dull, drifting excursions like "Visions of the Daughters of Time" and the seemingly endless "Awakening the Colossus." And what the heck does the heroin-chic model pictured on the back cover have to do with the album's otherwise pretty cool pagan artwork? In short, chops will get you signed, but Abdullah needs to define their identity before they can expect to stand
out from the pack.

Jeff Shirilla - Vocals
Alan Seibert - Guitar
Jameson Walters - Bass
Ed Milich – Bass
1 The Path of Enlightenment 7:26
2 Conundrum 6:59
3 Earth's Answer 5:50
4 Visions of the Daughters of Time 6:59
5 Now is the Winter 3:46
6 Lucifer in Starlight 4:44
7 The Black Ones 4:51
8 Awakening the Colossus 9:46
9 Proverbs of Hell 8:24
10 Journey to the Orange Island 8:28
11 Lotus Eaters 4:53

Wow! Now I'm impressed. Out of the blue (or dare I say black?) rolls on ABDULLAH (err…interesting bandname) and delivers this slab of dark yet melodic Doom Metal of the finest order. I can hear traces of COUNT RAVEN, ST.VITUS and yes, the mighty SABBATH, especially in Jeff Shirilla's ozzyish howl.
But never you fear, the band manages to retain a touch of their own in this genre of too many pothead-bands trying to "sound like the Sabs' like, you know, man…" Although there are a couple of standout-tracks here, the power of this album lies in it's consistency and dramatics. You should really listen to this as an entire album, and let it lure you into its world.
If heavy riffing, melancholic melody-lines, good esoteric lyrics and general psych-doom damage are your cup'o blood, give this monster of an album a spin…The Downer Award of the year goes to this lot.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rip from CD 256@ (full artwork included)
Download links
http://link-protector.com/266331/
http://link-protector.com/266332/