U.S. devils Abigail Williams deliver a multifaceted, ferocious black metal assault to die slowly to.
The North American black metal movement has really come into its own over the past two decades, helped in no small part by the contributions of Abigail Williams. Now, back with their sixth full-length – and a more or less new line-up – they're out to prove that they stand proudly amongst the best at what they do worldwide, and prove it they do.
Fans of the band will immediately find something familiar to A Void Within Existence, but it is undoubtedly a more evolved version of the band, having taken strides since 2019's Walk Beyond The Dark. The unshakeable bleakness that seethes through the whole thing is palpable, living up to the album title, and making it compulsive, Talk To Your Sleep and the swirling, sprawling Embrace The Chasm particularly dark and haunting.
Tied up in all this darkness is unrepentant violence, something Still Nights makes very clear, the track hostility incarnate, and discordant opener Life Disconnected is not exactly lacking in this department. Melody is also allowed to intrude here and there, adding shape to the songs and expanding their scope, and nine minute closer No Less Than Death particularly embraces this, with proggy clean vocals adding another flavour.
With this effort standing amongst the finest underground releases of 2025, Abigail Williams force what they do down the listener's throat and hope they choke on it, in the best possible way. It also makes for one Hell of a comeback, and makes it very clear that they are inarguably playing with the big boys.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Watain, Dark Funeral, Woe
A Void Within Existence is released on July 18 via Agonia
