I Am Abomination – To Our Forefathers
Michigan has given us a few memorable things such as Ford cars, Eminem and Domino’s Pizza. Okay, I can live without that last one. Now the Mighty Mitten State has graced our ears with the likes of I Am Abomination—a 5-piece post-hardcore/progressive rock outfit that boasts a vast, enthralling sound and forward-thinking mindset. I Am Abomination’s debut full-length, To Our Forefathers features hardcore breakdowns, driving melodic vocals and huge digital soundscapes.
The opening track “Since 1776” is the definition of what this band has on tap. It’s filled with hardcore breakdowns, soaring vocals and a memorable hook. I Am Abomination’s progressive qualities show through in the form of synthesized overlays and futuristic nuances. It’s a tightly woven combination that seems to be the set theme throughout this album. The band loves to dabble while intertwining it all with the core qualities that come along with the post-hardcore, progressive and metal genres.
With songs like “Since 1776” and “Thoughtcrime Is Death” the band embraces synth and melds it seamlessly with the traditional characteristics of their aforementioned genres. Each song ends with an atmospheric conclusion that adds an entirely new dimension to the song. If you want to hear more of the post-hardcore aspect, move forward to “Rock N’ No Soul”, one of my favorite songs on the album. Paired with staple post-hardcore chugging and breakdowns, the song also features something that is sadly lacking from the rest of the album: growls! That’s right, a post-hardcore album with virtually no growls to be heard. Although I found this to be somewhat of a downfall, the rest of the album makes up for it. Back onto the track itself, it features an infectious chorus, some shining solo work and atmospheric effects that help warrant the progressive annotation.
Tracks like “Cataclysm” and “Art Attack” offered up some faster-paced punk-esque tempos while including most of what you come to expect on To Our Forefathers by this point. The double time beat is accompanied by more of Phil’s echoed vocals, hardcore breakdowns and a large dose of synth and keyboard for good measure. If you want technical, give tracks like “Greetings From Easter Island” and “Element 151” a listen. Each song features some off-timing chord progressions here and there and some more shining guitar work. Let it be known that the string work on this album is pretty spot-on. The bass carries the bottom end along with a simple but effective presence, and the guitars vary from impressive solos to hearty chugs and hammer ons.
Where the band excels I also found some things that put me off as well. By track eight or so the album feels a little repetitive, mainly because I think the vocal arrangements start to sound similar and you feel as if you’re listening to something you already heard prior. The vocals are by far one of the most important factors on the album. I felt like they were a huge driving force on every song, but the one problem I have is that I don’t know where actual vocal ability starts and where post-production takes over. With an album that has so much electronica and mixing work done, it’s sometimes hard to tell and it makes one wonder if their live performance upholds their album sound. Another thing that turned me off completely at first is that Phil Druyor’s vocals are almost a dead match to those of Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco—a band that I can’t say I enjoy at all (because I really don’t). I don’t think it’s fair to allow something like that to heavily affect my review of To Our Forefathers though. I was eventually able to shake this after a few spins of the album.
Another thing that seems to lack from this album is the presence of growls and screams that you would generally be heard out of bands with the post-hardcore attribute (Underoath, blessthefall, The Devil Wears Prada). Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I think that I Am Abomination should try to incorporate them a little more on their upcoming release(s). On “Rock N’ No Soul” the growls really added a hard edge to something that was already extremely powerful and well-oiled. It dirtied up the polish a bit and added a memorable quality for me.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It traveled off the beaten path and I love the direction that this band is headed in. All you metalheads out there will probably skip this one but for the ones into hardcore like myself, I really suggest checking this out (I’m looking in your direction, Mr. Tallman [check this one out!]). It’s a powerful, well-assembled, multifaceted machine.
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9 Comments
May 5th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Overall a pretty damn good review… I do however disagree with what you said about more growls… That's one thing that makes this band as awesome as they are… The fact they play this genre of music with no growls (up until the song Rock N' No Soul) and still make it sound fucking awesome is extremely unique… I do however think a downfall in the vocals is Phil doesn't use as much of a range as he did in Jaw Dropper, Never Gonna Give You Up, Or Dirty Diana…
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May 6th, 2010 at 2:14 am
I like the review. I will be all over when this when it releases. I love their sound. I agree with RoleModel. I love how there is hardly any growls yet its still hardcore and heavy. Its unique and different. A definite day one purchase.
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May 13th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
I thought this album was incredibly catchy, but lacked substance.
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June 11th, 2010 at 6:46 am
I love how you just note the "growls" but you don't make any mention of who they belong too. Seeing how you reviewed the We Came As Romans debut album "To Plant A Seed," I'd assume that the screams would seem quite familier. What's also funny is that you consider I Am Abomination "post-hardcore" when they really aren't. It's another Joey Sturgis project that was ruined by his horrible production. It could've been fixed it it was produced by anybody else, hell, even an 11 year old kid with GarageBand. The Sturgis production is ruining almost all metal albums because 2-3 albums produced by him come out every month. Don't mention the Panic! At The Disco line if it isn't going to affect your reviewing standpoint. Once again, nobody in I Am Abomination did the "growls" on the album.
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June 11th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Steven,
Thanks for reading and throwing in your feedback. In regards to the growls on the album, I wasn't the one that reviewed the We Came As Romans album so it wasn't familiar to me. I've never heard that album before. The guest appearance wasn't mentioned on anything I was given while reviewing this album either.
I think there are elements of this band that make them post-hardcore, but it's heavily pop oriented and influenced. As for Joey Sturgis' production, it's a matter of opinion. I think a band's musical talent far outweighs the production as long as it doesn't sound like it came straight from a garage. I didn't think the production on this was absolutely terrible.
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Steven replied:
June 11th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
I am a fan of I Am Abomination, being from the same area, yet I feel that their sound just feels that it's carried on from track to track. Nothing sets each song apart from the others. I can say that the guys in I Am Abomination are talented, but I just believe that Joey Sturgis heavily overdoes the production on multiple points of an album.
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Jim replied:
July 26th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I think that people give Sturgis way too much crap. He's one of the hardest working producers in the US right now. He has projects up the ass and everyone asks him to produce things the same way. Before you talk crap about a producer, consider that they are hired to do what they do best. And his way is obviously working.
Music is more than art. It's a business as well.
You can either stick to what you like or create something that other people can enjoy as well
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November 18th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
i thought the review was dead on..they are def missing something and i think its the screams/growls…the album starts a little slow…"thoughtcrime is death" was the 1st song to make me say "ok, not bad"…but "rock n' no soul" gave me that feeling u get when a song really hits u…i just said wow and it instantly made the rest of the album better…the vocals are a little repetitive but phil's voice is sick…and the guitar work is just impeccable imo…this band reminds me of a mix between protest the hero and a band i used to listen to back in the day called strength in numbers(without the screaming)…if they added some of the typical post hardcore/metalcore screams and growls i think this band could be great reminding me of bands like the word alive, motionless in white, a skylit drive…
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December 26th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I love this album. End of story!
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