Black Plastic Sun (Aesperus Music, 2015)
Abigail’s Ghost is a talented rock band from the New Orleans area. They attracted my attention when I heard some of their material streaming online. Although they are categorized as progressive rock by some, I find their music a mix of hard/heavy rock, progressive rock, ballads and trip hop.
Naturally, I’m especially attracted towards the more progressive pieces on this album. The highlights for me are the opening track, “Thereafter” which has a merry-go-round feel, great vocals and concludes with a memorable guitar solo.
Another keeper is “Bloodlust” where you find an engaging introduction, innovative arrangements, deep drums, reverberating piano, and superb vocal harmonies that build up to a post-rock wall of sound and an epic guitar solo.
Track 7 is one of the finest cuts on the album. On “Le Metteur” Abigail’s Ghost introduces dreamy trip hop that interacts very nicely with the vocals and guitar. Near the end, the band treats the listener to an outstanding guitar solo. Abigail’s Ghost vocalist Joshua “Bones” Theriot has been compared to Steven Wilson and, indeed, here the similarities are pretty evident.
A further high point is the exquisite “Sweet Serenity” where we find a fabulous mix of electronic harmonies, vocals and Floydian guitar.
The rest of the tracks have too much hard or heavy rock for my taste although you will encounter some noticeable guitar solos here and there, surrounded by all the riffing. On track 10, “Smotherbox”, Abigail’s Ghost inserts a really promising, although brief, jazz-rock fusion segment in between the heavy stuff.
The album lineup includes Kenneth Wilson on bass; Joshua “Bones” Theriot on vocals and guitars; John Rodrigue on drums; Brett Guillory on keyboards; Zachary Dufrene on piano; Vanya Karachabanova on violin and Sam Cherry on bongos.