Premiere: Abrams ‘In The Dark’ – New Album Releases This Friday via Small Stone
As Denver’s part heavy and part mellow grunge-y alt-rock quartet Abrams ready themselves to release In The Dark, their latest ten track, or eleven if you include the bonus number East Coast Dreams, through Small Stone Records this Friday, 9th September, we at The Shaman are overjoyed to have been approached to premiere their new long-player in its entirety.
Comments guitarist and vocalist Zach Amster on its imminent arrival, ‘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!’
Now do the right thing, take note of Amster‘s wise words by turning the volume up (to 11 of course), then click play below and immerse yourself with In The Dark…
More On Abrams & ‘In The Dark’
Initially seeking to fuse melodic hooks with dissonance, Abrams began in 2013 in Denver, Colorado, with guitarist/vocalist Zach Amster and bassist/vocalist Taylor Iversen. Later joined by drummer Ryan DeWitt, Abrams has released an EP and three studio albums, all to critical acclaim. With each release, the listener can hear the band evolving and maturing to what it has become today. A band dedicated to compelling songwriting, and energetic live performances, Abrams ups the ante with the moody, heavy, psychedelic rock venture of their forthcoming LP, In The Dark.
Adding Patrick Alberts (Call Of The Void) to the lineup, In The Dark serves as Abrams’ first release as a four-piece, following behind 2020’s Modern Ways. With the pandemic cancelling all touring plans for Modern Ways, Abrams immediately got to work demoing more than twenty-five plus songs for their next release. Given the world was in lockdown, Amster took a deep dive to learn the ins and outs of home recording to refine song structure, with a hyperfocus put on vocal hooks. There was a goal set to have as complete and polished songs as possible prior to entering the studio in Summer of 2021 with producer, engineer, and collaborator Dave Otero (Khemmis, Cattle Decapitation) at Flatline Audio who was the last piece in shaping the final soundscape.
The new collection is a fine-tuned, forty-five-minute sonic journey detailing the angers, fears, frustrations, and joys inherent in living in a world gone mad. With cinematic guitar riffs, brooding leads, and addictive vocal hooks, Abrams conjures a mature, polished, and intensely passionate craft, urgent but not at all rushed. There are hints of early AmRep mixed in with the larger sounds of ‘90s alt heroes Failure, Quicksand, and Hum. Combine that with the heaviness of recent Mastodon and stoner psychedelia of All Them Witches and you get In The Dark.
In The Dark Tracklist:
01. …Like Hell
02. Death Tripper
03. Better Living
04. In the Clouds
05. Fever Dreams
06. Body Pillow
07. Leather Jacket
08. White Sand
09. In the Dark
10. Black Tar Mountain
11. East Coast Dreams (Bonus Track)
Abrams is:
Zach Amster – Guitar, Vocals
Taylor Iversen – Bass, Vocals
Ryan DeWitt – Drums
Patrick Alberts – Guitar
In The Dark, the new Abrams album, releases this Friday, 9th September, through Small Stone Records, and can be grabbed on 180g opaque pink vinyl, compact disc, and digital download over on Bandcamp.
Label: Small Stone Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram