Written
by Laura Dodero, posted by blog admin
Though
some of Thomas Abban’s work on his debut album A Sheik’s Legacy calls to mind the wild, urban prog of The Mars
Volta or Coheed and Cambria as well as the blustering blues-rock of the White
Stripes and Wolfmother, simply comparing Abban’s music to other artists will
get you nowhere fast. On this 15-track
record, Abban proves that he is in complete command of his songwriting and
channels it from a place that transcends simply stealing riffs and ideas from
other musicians. In fact, Abban’s work
is so original, unique and exciting that hearing one song doesn’t even scratch
the surface. There’s so much variety on A Sheik’s Legacy that no review could
ever describe it all.
Things
start simple enough with the poignant “Death Song,” a crash n’ bang ditty that
mingles acoustic atmospheres with immaculately layered instrumentation and a
detour or two into heavy rock overdrive.
It’s not a “basic” tune by any means and things only get more
complicated from there. The album
literally throws the kitchen sink at you.
Slamming, hard rock numbers like “Fear,” “Aladdin” and “Uh” showcase
Abban’s love of dirty dealin’, guitar riff pyrotechnics backed by lumbering
rhythms that stomp like dinosaur footsteps.
It’s textbook heavy stuff that gets under the skin and drives the
message home with impact and simplicity.
This is only one meager side of Abban’s skills though as cuts like
“Symmetry and Black Tar,” “Time to Think” and “Black Water” take the dangerous
power-chord explosions and split the difference with majestic vocal melodies,
sweeping acoustic ambience and long build-ups that always deliver a monumental
payoff. 60s psychedelic rock comes
through aggressively on “Echo” which complements its roots with tribal hand
percussion, multi-tracked acoustic guitars and dirtier guitar riffs that
continue to push the music into more turbulent phrasings that will keep Abban’s
music far away from the light FM radio stations. He whirls and swirls his way across the fret board
in flashy bits of lead work and soloing on closer “Born of Fire,” another tune
that showcases his flair for 60s style psychedelic rock drug kicking and
screaming into the 2010s. Elsewhere, he
reinvents himself as a busking, folky bluesman on predominantly acoustic and
pared down songs “Horizons,” “Sinner,” “Don’t You Stay the Same,” “Let Me Tell
You Something” and “Lord.” The man’s got
a powerful set of pipes with his vocals spanning high-register, high-octave
wails and lower, grittier deliveries that perfectly suit the mood of whatever
he’s playing. He’s also got a knack for
quiet pop tunes as the stunning “Irene” gloriously illustrates. There are no bounds to Abban’s work and
that’s why this album flows and plays out seamlessly, fluidly and
breathtakingly.
A Sheik’s Legacy
will
be remembered for being a phenomenal debut album that put Thomas Abban on the
musical map. With the sheer muscular
musical power on offer here, this thing should be cracking every chart in
existence. Fans of edgy, experimental
rock n’ roll will find that this record scratches every itch that one could
possibly have and expect of this tried and true aural art form.
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