Let's be honest about things. Deathwish has hardcore locked down and Shipwreck A.D. is a key part of their commanding roster. After two self-titled 7" releases that have fueled the band with a fair amount of hype - which isn't always a bad thing - Shipwreck A.D. have brought forth their debut full-length, Abyss.
Abyss begins with "Squall," a song that was featured on the band's 7" released on Deathwish earlier this year. The song works quite well as an opening track. The riffs at the beginning act as a nice lead in and pack a serious punch. The rest of the song seems to flow in a rising sequence toward the climax that hits right before the song ends - it's kind of an abrupt end that left me feeling a little cheated. "Nereus" one-ups things with aggressive guitar work and pummeling drums while vocalist J.D. commands the mic with coarse, throaty yells. A nice solo is worked into the middle of the song as well, giving it a little personality.
The next two songs seem tied together by the used of an acoustic guitar. "Samur" starts with an acoustic guitar part before the hard riffs kick in and the metallic attack continues. "Beached" seems to start as soon as the previous number ends with its fast-paced riffs. The song runs it course and eventually closes with an acoustic guitar. Investigation of the lyrics furthers the idea that these two songs are possibly meant to be one.
Shipwreck A.D. continue to plow through song after song of meaty hardcore that draws influence from the 90's, but also mixes in modern sounds. The main riff "Lotus" is killer and portions of the song remind me of Quicksand. "Thaw" definitely has an Integrity vibe to it, but doesn't ape the band to the point knockoff. "Ascent" is probably the strongest song of the entire album songwriting-wise. And "Zenith" ventures outside of the band's normal comfort zone with its "progressive" structure, resulting in an interesting close to the record.
Abyss sets itself apart from the too-numerous-to-count hardcore records released this year with its lyrical subject matter. Rather that be watered down with talk of politics or the music scene - not that these topics can't be covered in a tasteful manner - vocalist J.D. sets off on a lyrical adventure. The songs of Abyss tell the story of a man on a journey from the depths of the ocean to the highest point on earth. Throughout his journey he encounters physical, emotional, and psychological obstacles and hardships. The first few tracks read like Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. While the later songs of the journey call to mind J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
The layout of Abyss is very much in line with the subject matter. The majority of the design is comprised of textured images of the sea in shades of blues and grays. Also pictured throughout a sea serpent in bright red, providing a nice contrast. I really like the palettes and have to admit that it's a nice change of pace from previous Deathwish releases.
After two successful EP's Shipwreck A.D. has shown that they are more than capable of delivering an entire album's worth of quality material. Abyss succeeds at being more than just your average hardcore record. With the addition of an elaborate storyline, Abyss demonstrates that hardcore music is more than just dumbed-down music to rage to
but that doesn't mean that we can't.
