MANY AN OPUS...
With four demos and six albums in five years, Austria's Abigor are one of the most prolific, and underrated Black Metal bands today. Their latest release, 'Supreme Immortal Art' follows hot on the heels of last years 'Apokalypse'. I spoke with guitarist Peter about their sordid past, their bright future, and their status as one of the leading underground Black Metal entities today...
Prolific is putting it mildly when talking about Abigor's stream of releases, in their relatively short history. A year since their beginning in the summer of 1993, they already had four demos under their belts, and a deal with Napalm Records. Since then, a steady stream of releases have appeared in the shape of 'Verwustung', 'Orkblut', 'Nachthymnen', 'OPUS IV', 'Apokalypse', and their latest offering, 'Supreme Immortal Art'. One of the main reasons for so many albums has been Abigor's unwillingness to spend more than the absolute minimum of time in the studio. Despite this, any thoughts of Abigor merely reharshing what they've done before can be put to rest by a simple listen to their back catalogue. 1996's 'OPUS IV' showed a vast improvement in writing style, and this is something that has continued with the last two albums.
"The new material will be more epic and majestic than all previous releases", Peter confirms, "But I think that, concerning the studio work, we don't need anymore time." Spontanaeity, it would appear, is not a mjor priority. Indeed, through every part of 'Supreme...', it is nowhere to be found. "The main reason why new material is created so fast is that TT and I write songs seperately. So if we don't rehearse for three or four weeks, TT and I will both have finished songs." This philosphy even extends to the rehearsal studio, where jamming, which so many bands cite as essential in creating material, is also out. 'Because of this," Peter agrees, "we do not have to waste time creating riffs together. We don't even rehearse with two guitars and vocals as it is impossible."
In the early days, Abigor were part of the Austrian Black Metal Syndicate. This association, however, did not prove prosperous, and did not end on a high note. In fact, Peter has previously been quoted as describing the ABMS as 'worthless shit', although now he is a bit more diplomatic about the situation.
"I don't know if the ABMS still exists. That chapter is closed and we're simply not interested in it anymore." These days, the only Austrian band that they allign themselves with is fellow Napalm stablemates Summoning, and association that, due to Summoning's Silineus Gregor having been a member of Abigor since the debut full-length album, looks set to continue. The interview now inevitably....
The interview now turns inevitabley towards Abigor's label, Napalm. 'Contract difficulties' are something that a lot of bands complain about, though this does not seem to be an issue for Abigor.
"At the moment, we have no contract!" laughs Peter. Their contract expired after the release of their second album, 'Orkblut' in 1995. "Everything is based on trust and honour, and we're 100% satisfied with Napalm," Peter confesses. "At Napalm, we've simply our artistic freedom. We can do almost anything we want, and Napalm are certainly satisfied with our albums, or with the sales figures to be more exact." Ever thought about signing to another label? "Napalm is an elite label of the genre,"
Peter answers simply. He is quick to dispel criticism about the apparent similarity in sound of several of the bands on the Napalm Records roster.
"Each band on Napalm has its own style, Angizia and Dismal Euphony both sound a bit strange to me, but who cares? Furthermore, Napalm share our philosophies concerning music, as I think that as long as I'm not addicted to our music, and therefore the money I earn from music, we've our freedom"
That kind of sentiment is echoed by many in Black Metal circles, most notebly Darkthrone's Fenriz, when asked about why he works and Darkthrone's refusal to tour. In comparison, the chances of Abigor appearing at a venue near you are pretty non-existent.
"We're happy with being a 'studio' band, and I can't see any advantages in playing live, it's just stress."
On the subject of the ever-increasing amount of competition from innumberable Black Metal bands being spawned and the difficulties in being original, Peter feels he has little to worry about.
"Yes, I am sceptical about the number of Black Metal bands but it doesn't bother me that much. I mean,after the release of our sixth album, we simply don't feel it necessary to copy other bands. We've a high status in the genre, becaue Abigor stands for development, and as long as we develop and grow as individuals, our music through Abigor will also develop."