Spotlight on Pagan Music

A weekly feature highlighting the best music from Pagan, Pagan – influenced, and occult artists. You can hear many of these artists on my weekly radio show and podcast, or you can check out the annual “Darker Shade of Pagan” music special available for download online.

ABNEY PARK

Abney Park

Band Bio:
Abney Park is a Black Sheep of the Black Clad crowd…
Evocative of both old-world mystery and futuristic technology, Abney Park is a strong and original musical presence in a genre far too used to formula. Music & lyrics both dark and mystical, Abney Park creates an emotional and cerebral world unlike most anything found in the gothic genre today. Ghost stories & Nightmares, myths & magic float in and out of a music that bounces between industrial dance and symphonic epics ? from the dark western forests to the deserts of the far east.

Abney Park web site.
Abney Park MySpace page.

Song download:
“Stigmata Martyr” (Mp3 file)
“The Wrong Side” (Mp3 file)
“Breathe” (Mp3 file)

Abney Park’s song “Witch Cult/Sacrilege” appears on the 6th annual “Darker Shade of Pagan” special available for download, here.

Reviews:
“The delivery of Robert Brown tends to be conspiratorial. He sings of things suggestively with visuals stirring. Of escapes and pursuits, or perils and integrity, like Agent Mulder on Prozac.. I like that a lot. The fact the band have been compared to Garbage strikes me as somewhat lazy, for here the guitars, which all but hum by themselves, are totally controlled, and it’s an evocative feel which spreads and becomes resplendent. Yes, there’s Middle Eastern tangles (where isn?t there these days, it’s almost the new black?), and we get some floatiness, some emptiness, but mainly we get a superb voice beckoning us nearer but then keeping itself one step ahead as we lumber loyally behind it.” – Mick Mercer

“Those who think there’s nothing new, original or creative happening in the world of gothic rock haven’t heard the sounds of Abney Park. As showcased on From Dreams or Angels, their music definitely knows its roots, and can trace a clear line of descent back to the Sisters of Mercy or the Cure. But it’s not content to re-hash what other artists did decades ago; instead, it pushes into the future and creates something unique and new.” – Freak Nation

“As a whole, the band exhibits remarkable compositional and studio skills…New Wave saturates this album, but in a unique and unaffected way. Vocalist and songwriter Robert Brown, gives ABNEY PARK the Gothic feel – his commanding and mysterious vocal style and brooding lyrics keep the album from simply being a retro-80’s throwback…these guys are top-notch musicians creating a mutant variety of ’90’s new wave pop that is sure to catch on.” – EBM.gr

My Two Cents:
A fine darkwave band, Abney Park throws everything they like into the music. Witchcraft, steam-punk, horror, romance, sci-fi, world music, and of course that wonderful gothic/darkwave sound that influences everything else. It took me awhile to “get” them, but then I really started to enjoy what they do. I was especially fond of their short piece “Witch Cult” (which leads into the song “Sacrilege”) and used it to start off my latest Pagan special. A worthy band deserving a higher profile.

Further Reading:
Interview with Abney Park.

Tags: Paganism