Review by Michael on June 26, 2022.

On their already seventh album within 12 years Swedish death metal institution Entrails invites us for another sick trip to meet death and decay. Tuned down crushing HM-2 guitar sound prevails on An Eternal Time Of Decay just like on the previous releases and sends the listener back into the early 90s. The production is done very well (all producing was done by the band itself, mixing by Jimmy Lundquist, their guitar player himself and the mastering was done by Dan Swanö) and sounds the way a death metal album should sound like.

After a short gloomy intro that raises some ghoulish zombies from the graves in my imagination, the death metal inferno slowly starts. Okay, the cover was an inspiration for this image; too, I have to confess. 'Die To Death' is a quite fast and crushing track with some really cool lyrics (Taylor Nordberg from Inhuman Condition, Deicide etc. wrote these for the band) and appears to be a very good start for the album. The next few tracks however rush along without any big surprises. The guys deliver their “usual” Swedish death metal songs with some punk influences so that's the reason why I said that the album starts slowly. It's not bad, don't get me wrong but something is missing a little bit. Again we meet Taylor Nordberg featuring a guest appearance with a guitar solo on 'Slayed To A Pile Of Flesh' - the lyrics were written by the former Entrails member Jocke Svensson. 'Open Casket Feast' is turning into a pretty good and very classical Swedish death piece and with 'Dead By Evil' (guess what the inspiration for these lyrics was) the album turns out to be pretty awesome. A sinister intro and a ton of HM-2 riffs witch catchy, stomping melodies start to kick ass and rip you out of the somewhat half-awake mood. By the way the track was already written in the very early 90s. Also the other four following tracks are some real killer tracks. I guess if they had been released in the heydays of Swedeath Entrails would have become one of the big ones along the other ones needless to mention here. 'Autopsy' is a very melodic song with some double bass arrangements and a very gloomy whispered chorus; it is definitely one of the highlights of the album. Again the band had some lyrical support, this time by Danny Nelson from Malignancy and his girlfriend Eva Andersen. Closing with a mid-tempo wrecking-ball called 'Possessed' the quartet shows time and again that they can write pretty good death metal songs.

So, I guess I have to draw a conclusion now, right? An Eternal Time Of Decay has its strengths but also its lengths (anybody nominating me for the next Pulitzer Prize for this sentence?). The first couple of songs (apart from 'Die To Death') are quite average death metal one or the other may have heard somewhere else already. But I guess that the intention of Entrails isn't to reinvent the wheel here so it is quite noteworthy that they put their strongest songs to the second half of the album. Maybe it's just some kind of psychological trick to listen to the whole album. Nevertheless it is an album that isn't too bad to listen to and for sure no waste of time. Death metal purists will have a lot of joy while listening to it while people who may be looking for something new better take their fingers off of it.

Rating: 8 out of 10 zombies

Review by JD on May 6, 2011.

If adversity makes any band better, US based Black Metal band Abigail Williams should be the Beatles of the metal world. They have survived a complete line up change, a change in musical directions and other personal strife that had culminated in the recording "In the Absence of Light".

A far cry from their Symphonic releases of the past ("In The Shadows Of A Thousand Suns"), Abigail Williams‘s newest album has been stripped right down to the bare bones, to a core of hauntingly cruel yet blasphemously heavy Black Metal that is sometimes diabolically kissed by sweeping symphonic elements that accent every note produced by the band - but it never takes over.

Songs like the satanic tinged giddiness of 'Hope The Great Betrayer' to the hell flame licked lyrics and strong riffing of 'The Mysteries That Bind The Flesh' show a band that is evolving in the right direction. Some might look at this sudden changes as a very bad thing and see a band that has not lived up to expectations - I disagree completely. Abigail Williams’s stripped down and heavy attacking set of songs, it seems that this band has found its demon wings and are in full flight across each level of Hades.

Naysayers have their own views on this album, that I have come across many times but my thoughts are clear. I do really like this album better than their other two releases, finding the bands new direction to be just what they needed to do. Abigail Williams just seem to be a better band for it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8.5
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Kate on March 15, 2011.

Abigail Williams is well known for changing and morphing into a new form just to keep their loyal fans on their toes. “In The Absence Of Light” is no exception to the rule with a rawer, harsher, and more aggressive Black Metal style. Trimming back on the keyboards and symphonic atmosphere that the band gave to fans on their previous album, “In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns”, Abigail Williams comes through full force and with pure rage.

The change may have been brought on by the fact that there are only three primary members now as opposed to the enormous cast that were very prominent on the first album. Ken Sorceron (vocalist/guitarist) is the only original member left but the ever-changing lineup doesn’t seem to get in the way of the band’s momentum. In fact, it seems the new members are bringing the band into a fresh direction effortlessly.

The bleak opener, 'Hope The Great Betrayal', sets the tone for the rest album and isn’t interrupted by keyboards or any sort of other interludes. Ken’s vocals come across raspy and coarse that fits in with the solemn tone perfectly. 'Final Destiny Of The Gods' clocks in at a little over eight minutes but this is eight minutes of pure Black Metal bliss with some classic guitar riffs played subtly in the background. By far, one of my favorite tracks. I myself like to escape into the Black Metal abyss for an extended amount of time but if you’re not into that kind of thing, (to each their own I suppose haaaa), there are some shorter tracks such as 'What Hell Awaits Me' and 'An Echo In Our Legends' that bring more of a mid-tempo pace to the album. What I love is that the guitar is much more present and the keyboards are not. It seemed like they were using that to bring more of a symphonic element to the last album but in actuality it became more of a crutch than anything. It’s good to see they can stand on their own without it.

No two Abigail Williams are ever going to be alike; go back and listen to their 2006 EP “Legend” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Though they’ve never been fully embraced by the metal community, this band brings something unique and memorable to the scene. I look forward to seeing what they bring in the near future!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8.0
Originality: 8.0
Overall: 8.0

Rating: 8.1 out of 10