Another day, another fantastic release from Small Stone Records. I could also say, another year, another album that’s just a bit better than before from Abrams. One of my favorite sources of pop-inflected, sweet stone rock, Abrams have been steadily building their power over the last few years. Lust. Love. Loss, their debut full-length released in 2015, already showed great promise and was my introduction to the band but it lacked a bit of finish. Modern Ways, one of my favorite albums of the cursed year 2020, took care of that, presenting a more expansive and ambitious version of Abrams. And now, In the Dark, which we are proud to premiere here in full, builds on that foundation and delivers the most explosive, bombastic, and convincing version of Abrams. In short, it fucking rock and it also rolls. Head on down below to see for yourself (though I never tell a lie, when it comes to cool music at least).
Can I get a “hell yeah”? Of course I can, seeing as how “Like Hell”, the album’s opening track, is a proper rager that sets everything on fire from the very get go. That chorus! The way it returns near the end of the track, when the screams escalate to the verge of injury, receiving that powerful shine that comes with stretching yourself to the limit. The bouncy groove section, the big riffs. Later on down the album, plenty of grungy, languishing riffs are introduced (like on the following, “Death Tripper”, which also hits those good late era Mastodon vibes with its chorus and outro riff) but the bounce, dynamics, and overall refusal to slow down for one second are the themes which carry this album to its fruition. This unstoppable energy makes perfect sense when you talk to the band and they say:
Release day is always a very special day. Two years in the making, we poured our heart and souls into this record. We are so excited to release In The Dark into the wild. TURN IT UP!
What more can I add? In the Dark releases on Friday, September 9th, and you can pre-order it from the Bandcamp page above. Do it!