Based in Hannover, Germany, duo Might was formed in 2020 by Ana Muhi (vocals/bass/piano) and Sven Missullis (vocals/guitar/drums) and are part of the Exile On Mainstream roster which has been/is home to the likes of The Hidden Hand, Trialogos, Gore and Dälek.
According to the promo notes that accompany the album, the cover art is by Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński and Might are certainly not the first artists to employ his work as the likes of black metallers Wode and psych rock outfit Samsara Blues Experiment can attest to, and it is a striking and engaging piece, perhaps more appropriate than the minimalist design that adorned 2020’s self-titled debut.
‘Naked Light’, at barely over a minute, helps set you up for the album to come, crushing guitars, piano and angelic vocals: Enya gone doom, anyone? These niceties are soon obliterated by next track ‘Lost’, a raw blast of hardcore thrash that may not be quite Eternal Nightmare or Reign In Blood levels of intensity, but packing a mean punch nonetheless. ‘Abysses’ is the longest number on the album and takes you down a more progressive post-metal route albeit one imbued with the spirit of My War era Black Flag and a little Saint Vitus a la Born Too Late.
‘Circles’ provides a rather delicious stylistic detour with heavy metallic riffing alternating with moments of pure punk-pop that remind one of grunge legends such as Coffin Break, marking this as a personal favourite. From there we reach the albums’ halfway mark and the eerie atmospheric beauty of ‘Who’s Ahead?’ and ‘Tightrope Walk’ both of which showcase the band’s softer side to brilliant effect and allowing the listener a brief respite.
‘How Sad A Fate’ starts deceptively with gentle acoustic guitar before a tougher psychedelic doom sound kicks in, calling to mind New Yorkers Lightmaker and Virginia natives Windhand, neither of whom are afraid to inject generous traces of melody into their sound.
Before you get too comfortable however and start cracking out the joss sticks and meditation stools, ‘Shrine’ comes roaring straight out of the gate in a fashion that would make your average black metal band cower in fear, proof that you don’t need to don corpse paint to be ‘true kult’.
‘Lucky Me’ reminds one a little of Okkultkrati with its classic Metal riffing and Blackened shrieked vocals and similarly evokes the spirit of bands such as Judas Priest minus the 1980s cheese. The haunting ‘Dear Life’ channels Diamanda Galas, proving you don’t need to employ outright volume and distortion to be heavy while ‘Holy Wars’, feels like a paean to worldly conflicts that have been dominating the news over the past few months and thereby concludes the album in a suitably downbeat fashion.
In conclusion, this is a stunningly diverse collection of songs which amply demonstrate Might’s refusal to be pigeonholed. Consequently Abyss, like all the great albums of years past, warrants repeated listening, especially as you will find something new to appreciate each time you hear it.
Buy the album here: https://might.bandcamp.com/
8 / 10
REZA MILLS