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Thomas Abban - A Sheik's Legacy (2017)



OFFICIAL: http://www.thomasabban.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ThomasAbbanOfficial/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thomasabbanofficial/

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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