777 – “Across the Abyss”
If you love metal music, traditional doom metal, stoner metal, classic rock, whatever label you like to put on it, or you are just into good music that rocks, as long as it has fairly strong melodic aspects, catchy riffs, good solos and clean vocals, but it cannot be an exact duplicate of things already done a 1,000 times before. 777 on their single “Across the Abyss”, deliver a fresh twist you may not have heard before, while not being too weird or too spacey.
It is sludgy, fuzzy sounding, and yes the occult vocals have been done many times before, but the lead vocalist has the perfect voice to deliver these lyrics around a lusciously layered arrangement that will leave you singing this song in your head while you are busy doing other things besides listening to music.
And this is ultimately how I measure a 5 star track. I did I find myself singing the song, bobbing my head and anticipating when I could next put the thing on and rock again.
“Across the Abyss” prides itself on an ethereal, haunting atmosphere conveyed to us by way of brooding post-goth-inspired alternative occult rock. Through much of this song, the lead songstress croons with a breathy, subdued specter of a voice before breaking out into a full-pitched howl in existential despair.
Her vocal delivery, along with the ever-present guitars and busy drums, create a deep but driving, and enveloping atmosphere. The band’s sound is dark and mysterious, and heavy enough without being jarring, as she sings: “O Thou who draws the sword! / The blue light is on board! / The bark of million years / Across the aqueous Abyss.”
Yes, this track is haunting to say at least, and it’s heavy, dark, but yet very atmospheric and somehow catchy. The ambiance is often dense, somehow multidimensional and creepy thanks to great layered guitars. For most of the time the things work out with perfection.
It’s dynamic, it offers many shades of darkness, here and there it’s almost theatrical with kind of a baroque scent, yet it’s accessible enough and a fine soundtrack for painting the most horrific imagination in your mind.
While 777’s music is pretty unique and something hardly heard often, at least in the mainstream, I still think that “Across the Abyss” is a very enjoyable recording that could find its audience amongst many diverse types of listeners. Listening to 777 is an intense experience.
