--------------------------------------- Graveyard Poetry --------------------------------------- Stonerrockchick.com Band: Abdullah Album: Graveyard Poetry Label: Meteorcity Release Date: September 30, 2002 Reviewed by: Kelly aka Isis Posted: Aug 16, 2002 Meteorcity breaks the mold again. Everything that�s come from them this year has been some of the most diverse rock this scene has to offer. Forget the term "stoner rock" when listening to Abdullah, these guys are in a league of their own. If you�re a fan of any sort of heavy rock n roll, Graveyard Poetry should immediately go into your collection. I�ve been enjoying Abdullah�s music for a while. Their epic self-titled album is still one of my favorites, lots of slow, heavy doom filled with philosophy and self-examination. But I think they�ve outdone themselves this time. Graveyard Poetry is filled with lots of diversity - a few swirling psychedelics, hooks that grab you and won�t let go and crunching and bluesy guitar work - it�s loud, heavy, rocking songs but the doooooom is also still in full effect (especially "Pantheistic", "Salamander", and "Behold a Pale Horse"). The heavier tunes give off the Judas Priest English metal vibe... and do I hear a bit of old Crue in there on "Strange Benedictions"? Each song is good enough to stand on its own. The songs are stories of paranoia "I feel like my thoughts are no longer my own", Big Brother "You know when the books are burned then the old world has begun", an examination of all that�s wrong with this society and how it can get worse. The lyrics are emotionally charged - the songs are heavy and beautiful at the same time. Jeff takes lots of chances with vocals here aside from his very melodic vocal stylings. The overdubs are ingenious. Either bluesy or almost death-metal screaming- you�re in for a treat by the time you get to Track 13 - They the Tyrants. The album ends kicking and screaming... I can�t wait to hear Abdullah live, especially with their new addition of a second guitarist (Aaron Dallison from Keelhaul). That�s just going to put some much more weight to the music. They really have to get their butts out of Ohio and share their stuff with the rest of the world. This is a flawlessly produced album, full of energy, and the tracks flow nicely into each other. 2002 has been an amazing year for underground rock! Watch for this when it comes out at the end of September. Stonerrockchick.com --------------------------------------- www.stonerrock.com Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry Review by: Rob Wrong MeteorCity Records Available: September 30th 2002 Well, it only took me about 2 and a half minutes into this record before I realized that I was going to like it. Abdullah hasn't disappointed me in the past and knew that it was going to be some serious hard rock doom metal with great melodic vocals and excellent lyrics...I got that and more. This is a stack of rock for one, with 13 new cuts that all range on the average between 4 minutes to 7-8 minutes in length. The first song 'Black Helicopters' starts out with a chugging soul riff that is heavy on the doom side with blues based hooks and chunky overdriven guitars. The vocals are over the top melodic, much along the lines of Solitude Aeturnus's front man, but not nearly as operatic. The hooks and slowed down temporary time changes in this song reeled me in like a hooked catfish. The chunky metal riffs throughout are tight and on par guitar wise with Penance or Oversoul...along those lines. A little further in a track called 'Deprogrammed' sparks your attention with its blast beat intro similar to late 70's Judas Priest, or more recently Boulder. Great melodic vocals and heavy riffs that are trucking along like a semi truck on the freeway. Great changes...this song is so 'Sin after Sin' Priest...really! But, different of course. The guitar leads on this record are top notch and often are doubled with another guitar to get those Iron Maiden/Priest style harmonies. The overdubs on the vocals are subtle and sure genius. Great musicianship all the way through...man! I don't want to spoil the whole album for you, but I can tell you for sure that Abdullah has truly outdone themselves this time. If you have liked these cats in the past, then you will love this album. It's got all the great hooks and melodies that are Abdullah- but this is one louder and better. If you like classic rock/doom or metal of any sort and haven't gotten into these guys then this is a good time. This release surpasses many out this year on all sorts of levels. I am hooked... Stonerrock.com --------------------------------------- Doom-metal.com Graveyard Poetry (CD) MeteorCity Guest Review by: CountRaven I discovered Abdullah through a compilation CD. The first track I heard from them was "The Black Ones". I could hardly believe my ears. Their doom metal was the finest that I had heard since a long time. Their debut came very soon and it was what we all expected it to be. A great masterpiece and one of the most important doom metal albums nowadays. Songs full of haunting dark melodies and a fucking doomy feeling are some of the features that made Abdullah to be one of the most important hopes of the doom metal genre in our days. Time has passed and the band has returned with its second album called 'Graveyard Poetry'. Although they managed to keep all its doomy musical forms, the new stuff is different than their debut. Do not panic, we are not talking about serious musical changes. The band has simply managed to create a heavier and a little bit groovier, wall of sound. Basically we have some heavier, faster and groovier songs put together with songs in more traditional doom metal forms. I would use the description "Heavy Rock and Roll" to describe the musical point of view of this album in general, but let's be more specific. We can find songs in faster tempo, electrified with groovy guitar riffs that will remind you of '70s rock 'n roll. The opening track of the album (Black Helicopters) and tracks like "A Dark But Shining Sun", "Deprogrammed" are typical examples. On the other side we have songs in the traditional doom metal forms, heavy, dark and melodic, songs like "Pantheistic" (my favorite track from this album), "Salamander", "Behold A Pale Horse" (with its haunting melody on keyboards) will take you to the mountains of doom once more. From time to time the band tries to show a more aggressive face for example in the track "They, the Tyrants", which is the fastest song of the band. If I heard the song without knowing who has written it, I could not believe that this is song from Abdullah! Add to all these the very good -heavy but "clean" and ideal for this genre- production by Paul Hamann, the depressive but still so strong and melodic vocals by Jeff Shirilla and you will get an idea of the album. Abdullah have offered us a great album full of heavy dark and emotional music. I am sure that not only the fans of doom metal or "stoner rock" (sic) will enjoy the new album, but also everyone who is searching for something heavy, dark and emotional. Doom-metal.com --------------------------------------- Tombstone ABDULLAH - Graveyard Poetry / People Like You A band from United States, that we thought was interesting and talented a couple of years ago when we reviewed their demo, that managed to sign to a label and release an album. Their music is still heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, but they have gone for a more stoner rock approach and less Gothic. Not a bad idea since the sound fits the band really well. Their sound is more hard rocking and doomy than most stoner bands around and I really liked that. Their music is a bit repetitive and that's something they need to improve. There are 14 songs in the album and they are a lot. Maybe with two or three songs less in the album the overall quality would be better. The production is another thing they still need to improve and the last but not least, they need to reduce somehow the Sabbath influences and gain a more personal sound. They are good, they have talent, they have taken the first step by signing to People Like You, but they still need to work hard. I have no doubt they will. 6/10 Tombstone --------------------------------------- Cosmic Lava ABDULLAH (Graveyard Poetry) CD/LP: Review by Klaus Kleinowski It seems that 2002 is a really good year for new inspiring releases. Here's the next example. With the second album ABDULLAH has turned away a bit from their epic and serious style and they have integrated more classic/thrash metal elements from bands as Diamond Head,Brocas Helm, Holocaust or Tank and the result simply kills! The band has been working their asses off for "Graveyard Poetry" so you can listen to 14 songs, full of passion and energy with sensual melodies and forceful riffing. I really like the production, that is still very transparent but not as clean as on the forerunner. The opener "Black Helicopter" is the perfect example.A hard-driving mid tempo doom rocker, that reminds me to the best moments of Trouble or Las Cruces. "They, the Tyrants" is ABDULLAH's "Hallows Victim". Especially the newer refreshing uptempo songs as "Deprogrammed" or "Guided by the Spirit" are belonging to my personal faves.These tracks will force you to bang your head."Beyond the Mountain" or "Salamander" could have been also on the first album. And they really fit to to the more epic styled tracks.Jeff Shirillia's vocals are still charasmatic as on the first album and I hope, that the new line-up will last for a longer time and maybe someday ABDULLAH will present us their strong and powerful songs here in Germany. This is an absolutey fascinating and entertaining album with a lot of different moods and I give you the advice to get a hold of it. It's been worth every penny, so don't hesitate. Cosmic Lava --------------------------------------- Boston's Weekly Dig On stands Wednesday, September 18th Abdullah- Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Sleazegrinder Last time I checked in with Ohio-bred heavyweights Abdullah, they sounded like woozy bull elephants chained to the walls of their concrete cages, tranquilized beasts thrashing in a syrupy fog, bleating out an SOS of unholy anguish. Which was fine, really, because I like Doom rock. Doom makes me feel young and fast, like a racecar driver in a leather jumpsuit. But it seems that slow, languorous mud metal was not enough for Abdullah, so somewhere along the snaky line from there to here, they became Thin Lizzy. Well, not exactly, more like Chicago proto-power doomsters Trouble channeling their inner Lynott, but certainly close enough for rock and roll. Picture heads-down, take-no-prisoners, mid-'70s thunderboogie rolling thick and fast while some shirtless, long haired grunge god lays down impassioned cautionary tales of fleeting indulgences and the rocky seas ahead like an electric preacher in the Church of the Holy Freakout, and you've pretty much nailed this smooth ride. It's freedom rock for panicky days and restless nights, and it's quite clearly the best album of it's kind since Trouble's classic '92 dope dream "Manic Frustration". Yeah, but is Abdullah still Doom? Well, we're all fuckin' doomed, pal. Abdullah just take the news with more style and grace then most. --------------------------------------- Chaos Realm ABDULLAH - "Graveyard Poetry" CD '02 (Meteor City, US) Ever hear of something called the sophomore slump? Happens in school, baseball, yeah, music too. Somebody comes off a really good 1st year/season/album to suddenly think... "Oh, sh*t, I've gotta do this again!" & then they totally tank it. Happens all the time. Only 1 thing, ABDULLAH have obviously never heard of the sophomore slump. In fact, they must've gotten it confused with the sophomore explosion, because that's about what they have done on this 2nd full-length release on Meteor City. They have taken the impressive melodic-doom/great-vocals vibe they had on their last release & returned with an album so far-reaching & unique that it's like going from b&w to plasma TV. Now, doomheads, don't despair. ABDULLAH have not packed up the kids & left Vitus-land for Disneyworld or anything like that. There are many cuts here that still deliver the walloping, taciturn darkness of Doomsday front-&-center. And, like those who spawned the genre, the mighty Sab 4, they do so with enough variation to make songs that can be remembered, not just leaden riffs that blend together. But, from that point on, ABDULLAH really takes off, entering territories occupied in the past by luminaries like Budgie, Diamond Head & Tygers of Pan Tang. The NWOBHM (& pre-NWOBHM) stylings slide smoothly into the mixture, riding the wings of behemoth guitar riffs & yet borne even higher on the killer voice of Jeff Shirilla. This guy has one of the most impressive metal vocal sounds I've heard in a long time, right up there with people like Spike Xavier, Rob Lowe & Sean Harris, he's a true singer in every sense of the word. Another thing I'd like about "Graveyard Poetry" is the guitar sound. Rather than try to cash in on a modern-sounding, angry downtune, this features a totally NWOBHM tone on a lot of the cuts that just makes my auditory nerve vibrate in joy. What an excellent record here by ABDULLAH, & I can't wait to see 'em dish it out live. Chaos Realm --------------------------------------- Hellride Music Band: Abdullah Album: Graveyard Poetry Format: CD Label: MeteorCity Time: 64 Minutes Year: 2002 Review by Kevin McHugh Like some of you, I�ve had the promo of this for some time. Now that the official release is at hand, I think its time to bump this one up again so it can get the attention it deserves! Abdullah�s label, MeteorCity, has truly widened the definition of stonerrock, or stoner doom, or what have you, this year. Diverse releases ranging from the b-movie psych of the Ribeye Brothers to the stoner-licious sounds of the Mushroom River Band to the melodic doom of Ohio�s Abdullah are mainly united by their high quality, as opposed to any allegiance to a specific sound. One might say the same about Abdullah. I�ve been an enthusiast since the �Snake Lore� days, and I�ve loved their brand of melodic doom from the start. For some reason these guys remind me of New York doomsters Slow Horse far more than they remind me of any easy old school doom examples you might think of. It must be the clean, melodic vocals and literate lyrics. And speaking of literature, vocalist Jeff Shirilla pounds those thoughtful lyrics out like he majored in English, ha ha. That even extends to the song titles, such as �The Whimper of Whipped Dogs� and �Behold a Pale Horse.� If you can name the authors of those 2 works for me, I�ll buy you a beer next time we meet. If you�ve been paying attention to reviews posted around the net, you know that Abdullah is breaking out of the doom ghetto now, at least to an extent. Yeah, the doom is still here, what with instant classics like �Behold a Pale Horse� and �Salamander,� with its irrestible descending riff. But Abdullah has injected a big ole� hypo full of classic Maiden and Priest into the mix: check �Strange Benedictions� and �Guided by the Spirit.� And dig the death growls in the signoff tune, �They, the Tyrants.� Who knows where these doomsters are going to end up? One thing that nobody�s talked about is the production. As an old Pere Ubu fan, I�m very familiar with the work of producer Paul Hamann. As far as I�m concerned, his name should be spoken with the same reverence as Billy Anderson�s, Scott Reeder�s, or even Steve Albini�s. Paul�s super-experienced at getting a powerful, natural sound. It wouldn�t surprise me if he uses tubes in the recording process. If you like clean, melodic doom with a heavy injection of old-school metal, you�ll love Abdullah. Check it out, baby! Hellride Music --------------------------------------- Lollipop Magazine Abdullah: Graveyard Poetry MeteorCity Review by Craig Regala Stoner Rock, stoner rock, sto-ner-rock. Tell you what this is, it�s metal, no hyphens necessary. Rooted in the jean jacket 80�s, projected back to Sabbath's sound stage and forward through the epic moments of Soundgarden Abdullah are spreading without diluting. Retro in the aspects of what it doesn�t do (Nu Metal/Black or Grind �n� Roll), non-retro in its synthesis of decent hard rock/metal moves that never quite existed toe to toe in the same season. Call it power rock, full on riffage coursing through mid-tempos, a little teeth gnashing, expressive leads, big clean tuneful vocals and the feeling a Man 'O War song might be lurking out there, waiting, waiting... to invade. But it never does. It just hangs back counseling the young warriors' attack, muttering dark invocations unearthed by Witchfinder General and Dio--of soothed assassins and strange benedictions. Surviving the dark times by downtuned stomping; crushing pain and fears into manageable chunks, a rust belt corollary to their desert cousins in Spiritu. It is what it is, the continuation of rock from the kinda guys who were into it, are into it, and will be into it, �cause it�s as much what they are as what they do. Lollipop --------------------------------------- Alternative Press Volume 17, Issue 172 - November 2002 Abdullah Graveyard Poetry Review by Phil Freeman Stoner metal, but with melodies. Abdullah take the stoner-rock template and add just enough individualism to make this Graveyard Poetry one of 2002's better genre releases. Their vocals are strong and melodic, and their guitar riffs echo and enhance the tunes, rather than burying them in a sea of rumble. When they go off the traditional menu for more unexpected flavors, Abdullah choose well. "Beyond The Mountain" has a riff that could've been copped from half the songs on Motley Crue's Too Fast For Love--which is a good thing. Graveyard Poetry, despite its goth-referencing title, is a middle-of-the-road stoner album. Rather than racing Electric Wizard and Eyehategod to the bottom of the feedback ocean, Abdullah work to great effect the propulsive grooves bands like Spirit Caravan and Puny Human have also employed, and the result is a solid, enjoyable hour of rawk. Rating: 7 Alternative Press --------------------------------------- Hard Radio Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Martin Popoff Two tracks in and you begin to realize this is a whole different band from the one who pounded out the average sludge one record back. Vocalist Jeff Shirilla is starting to sound like one of them 7" indie NWOBHM guys (all a variant on Satan's Brian Ross), while his band stuffs in more notes, quicker to the thick quick riffs and verses, sounding a l'il Spirit Caravan clean and accessible. That is until the old school speed (yes, speed!) of Deprogrammed and They, The Tyrants, the awesome underground grunge of Beyond The Mountain, the combative, monstrous Trouble of Rune, and fave rave of the eventful rock ride, Strange Benedictions, which sounds like Diamond Head crossed with Deadly Ted. Forsooth, Abdullah have really done a fetching job of mixing it up here, doing rote stoner, cooler redneck riffs (Four Horsemen, GN'R, American Dog), British metal from the early '80s, and American metal from '72 (or, er, what we all imagine exists out there... somewhere), all the while offering an astonishing quantity of very high quality lyrics, the best in the biz, really, thick, competent production and... that voice: detached, ethereal, na�ve and blessedly indie. Rating 8 Hard Radio --------------------------------------- Strickle Meteorcity 2002 Review by Peter "Abdullah" starts of like a metal band but breaks into 70tiz rock after a while. "Graveyard Poetry" is the second full length of these US rockers released on Meteorcity. The album is fascinating cause of the references used in the music. Like their website explains, abdullah is not a "one style" band. They've incorporated allot of elements from psychedelics, groove metal, and heavy metal, all blended in a nice hard-rock mixture. Typical things like double vocals make this album sound allot like the rock bands that flourished in the early and late 70tiz, hence the link to them. At moments i even hear some glam-rock riffs, like Saint Vitus, Motley Crue & MC5. Songs like "A Dark But Shining Sun", "Pantheistic", "Beyond The Mountain", "Strange Benedictions" & "Medicine Man" are but a grasp from the many swinging hard-rock songs on "Graveyard Poetry". This album is a little less stoner oriented in comparison to their first, self titled, record "Abdullah". If you dig the 70tiz you're gonna love Abdullah! Strickle --------------------------------------- Electric Basement ABDULLAH - Graveyard Poetry (Meteor City) Review by Brian Coles Oddly but appropriately labeled "melodic doom", Abdullah almost makes Sabbath riffing accessible to commercial radio yet does not lose any legitimacy either since this is still "album rock." Jolting without trying to devastate the Universe, the power is concise, pointed leaps of power chords and changing tempos. It is so reaffirming to hear capable and downright belting vocals soar above the fury of an underground band as dangerous as they are listenable. Almost incongruous to their dark CD visage is an increased lean toward more invigorating tones. I mean "Pantheistic" is so NWOBHM it's almost alarming. Other tracks borrow heavily from everyone from Alice In Chains, Etombed to Uriah Heep. Ultimately, what separates this from the rest are the clean vocals and catchier material. Those expecting earth crunching doom will be caught off guard. Those looking for raw, classic heavy rock in a renewed form, get your groove on here. Rating: 4 electric bolts Electric Basement --------------------------------------- Ruthless Reviews ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry (2002) Meteor City Records; ASIN: B00006NSJ6 Erich's head isn't banging... I'm pretty new to this stoner rock thing. The general idea seems to be rock retro, which usually means borrowing from Black Sabbath. I can get on board with that and Abdullah have some fairly decent Sabbath riffs. What I don't like about this album is that it also seems to be a throwback to mid-80's metal. Now, if mid-80's metal meant Iron Maiden, I would be happy. If it meant glam, cockless rock, like Warrant, I'd be issuing a Fatwah right now. But the Mid-80's metal that Abdullah take their inspiration from is somewhere in between. Stuff like, oh, I don't know, WASP. This music doesn't offend me, but it doesn't do anything for me either. Now, for you legions of WASP fans out there, the question becomes one of execution. Is this a mediocre album, or are Abdullah just playing a genre of music that I consider inherently mediocre? Eh? I guess it's the middle of the road again. There are some good riffs. The notes are hit, everything is in key and so on. None of the hooks grabbed me, but not many WASP hooks grab me either. I liked Headless Children when it came out, but I was about fourteen. I think fourteen - year - old Erich would have bought this album, but it wouldn't have been in heavy rotation. Ruthless Ratings Buy it or Burn it: If you miss the 80's, burn away Quantify it: 4 Ruthless Reviews --------------------------------------- Metal Abyss ABDULLAH "GRAVEYARD POETRY" Even though their name is quite timely, Abdullah knows exactly how to rock. Well they play in the known heavy/doom style that they were playing in their debut album but this time the songs are faster than in their previous album. The vocals are in the same melodic and paranoid style, and that is something that I like very much in this band. Jeff Shirilla is an extremely good singer. The main influences of the band seem to be Black Sabbath but also some groups from the N.W.O.B.H.M. wave, like Diamond Head and Witchfynde. Several songs that they are going to blow your head off are: "Black Helicopters", "Deprogrammed", "A Dark But Shining Sun" and "Behold A Pale Horse". It is true that I liked very much "Graveyard Poetry" and I'm sure that the fans of the band and also the fans of this specific genre will be keen on this album. Don't expect to listen to fury guitars or synthies or technology's stuff here. We're talking about really heavy music that will travel you back in the 70's and allow you to feel how music was so beautiful and genuine then. The new album of Abdullah will be liked from the 70's dreamers and it's truly heavy dynamite! Join the club!!! T.A. 8/10 Metal Abyss --------------------------------------- Cleveland Scene October 9, 2002 Abdullah Graveyard Poetry (Meteor City) Review by Jason Bracelin When Abdullah frontman Jeff Shirilla wails, "I feel like my thoughts are no longer my own" early on his band's superb second album, he's giving voice to what has to be the biggest caveat of retro-minded stoner rock: the preoccupation with nostalgia at the expense of anything resembling an original thought. He does so inadvertently, as in the song "Deprogrammed," which is about emotional disaffection in a fast-food nation. If that doesn't sound like the typical subject matter of a genre filled with fetishes for muscle cars and bustlines the size of Marshall stacks, well, truth be told, Abdullah isn't a typical stoner-rock outfit. Any group that can play the hair metal haven that is the Revolution one week, open for n�-metal up-and-comers Chevelle shortly thereafter, and still win applause at reefer-rock fests like Emissions in Youngstown has to be about more than rote, Sabbath-obsessed riff-mongering. And indeed, Abdullah mixes the '80s-oriented new wave of British heavy metal fist-pumping, morose doom, and even vitriolic thrash into a sound that's more about dynamics than doobies. Cue up "Deprogrammed" for neck-spraining trad metal like Priest hasn't had in eons, "Salamander" for shape-shifting doom as slippery as its namesake, and the album-ending "They, the Tyrants" for a shot of white-knuckle speed metal with a killer solo. What brings it all together is Shirilla's tough, tensile upper-register delivery, which infuses Abdullah's music with both drama and backbone. With swarming guitar and a nimble rhythm section, it all adds up to a pretty impressive, forward-thinking display that should help take this scene back to the future. Cleveland Scene --------------------------------------- Live 4 Metal Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (People Like You) Review By Steve With a biog severely lacking in useful info, I guess I'll just have to wing it with the oddly named Abdullah. After reading that Vocalist Jeff Shirilla was influenced by NWOBHM bands such as Diamond Head, Def Leppard (they were Metal once) and Tank I was dumbfounded to be confronted with a stoner groove. After a couple of songs of low end workouts, the mood is lifted by the almost pop sensibilities of A Dark But Shining Sun. Musically it still retains it's heaviness, it's the smooth throated Mr Shirilla creating the infectious grooves. This man can sing. The fantastically titled The Whimper of Whipped Dogs sees a return to the downbeat dirge with a couple of (mighty) Sabbath riffs thrown into the mix for good measure. The tempo changes again with Deprogramed, which kicks off with a frantic Judas Priest riff, the 1st sign of 80's Thrash/Metal. But Jeff Shirilla's golden tonsils dampen any chance of an aggressive edge. More 80's riffs appear (UFO I think, or maybe even someone obscure like Montrose), before normal service is resumed. For me, the laid back sound with big low slung guitars is where Abdullah excel. Towards the end of the album, the focus is lost. The mellow vibe is replaced by rather a lacklustre attempt at creating 80's Metal. Horribly dated, it spoils the albums flow. Another twist is Beyond A Pale Horse, which moves heads towards Punk territories, although better than the stab at Metal, it still doesn't quite fit in. Despite my reservations about the latter tracks, this is a mighty fine record. Live 4 Metal --------------------------------------- Bully Magazine Abdullah Graveyard Poetry Meteor City Review by Ken Wohlrob Could there be such a thing as Shaman Doom? Perhaps I'm behaving too much like a goddamn critic and searching for a label to shackle to these guys. As soon as I popped in Graveyard Poetry I said to myself, "Hot damn, that's Trouble with a better vocalist." The music for the most part is written by lead singer Jeff Shirilla, who is the only original member and even recorded one EP by himself under the Abdullah moniker. Musically, the songs are super thick doom tracks, especially the opener "Black Helicopters" and "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs," which are the two best tracks on the disc. The sludgy guitars and boom/crash beats are thrown down with a heavy hand by guitarist Alan Seibert, bassist Ed Stephens, and drummer Jim Simonian on "Beyond the Mountain" and "Pantheistic." Seibert is the other long time member of the band and really plays his ass off on the album. After listening to the band's first disc, it's obvious that Graveyard Poetry is a lot heavier and moodier than its predecessor. The concentration is put more on atmospheric heaviness ala Sabbath and the Doors. Shirilla's lyrics focus on the despair of life in modern times while always offering a slight glimmer of hope (once again, Shaman Doom? Optimist Doom?). Take the lyrics "A Dark But Shining Sun" (that title sums up what I'm talking about): "Deal with the time I've spent, consumed with my own arrogance, I want you to be somebody." Meanwhile the music packs a much harder punch and has a much darker tone than the previous album. What really sets these guys apart from most doom bands is their penchant for dirges that have more atmosphere to them than the average "we're heavier than thou" delivery. It's a bit of that somber tone that Sabbath originally had and Alice In Chains really mastered on Dirt. It gives the band more dynamics and a broad range of textures in their music. And while there are a few clunkers on this disc, tracks like "Medicine Man" and "Secret Teachings of Lost Ages" more than make up for it with their brutal heaviness. Especially when the back half of the latter explodes out of your speakers. This is just a solid album from a band that is doing a hell of a job making their own music, rather than following a blueprint. Bully Magazine --------------------------------------- Metal Hammer ABDULLAH GRAVEYARD POETRY [PEOPLE LIKE YOU] Review by Tommy Udo THIS second release from Ohio�s doom/stoner heavyweights is a tasty, sloppy stew of brain fried psychedelia, shamelessly stolen Trouble licks and a soupcon of thrash, classic Judas Priest guitar dueling and even NWOBHM ? almost-forgotten heroes of yore like The Tygers of Pan Tang are namechecked. By packing so many retro-influences together in one place, this sounds bizarrely contemporary and original. Singer Jeff Shirilla has one of those impressive voices that you could imagine turning out anything from R&B to Easy Listening and still making it sound good, the guitars do their riffing so far up the neck that there are probably passages than only dogs can hear. The songs are paranoia-laden peans to �Black Hellicopters�, cultish conspiracy bible �Behold A Pale Horse� and the world�s greatest and most underrated science fiction writer Harlan Ellison on �The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs� delivered with maximum energy and passion. [7] Metal Hammer --------------------------------------- GL Productions Abdullah (US) Graveyard Poetry (Meteor City/People Like You) One of the strongest doom releases this side of the millennium was Abdullahs debut album, released in 2000. An album that got rave reviews not only by the hardcore doompress, also the metal and alternative press loved the album and the band was building up a solid fanbase. To come up with a strong follow up must bring in some kind of pressure but Abdullah have managed to turn Graveyard Poetry into poetry in motion, the slow hypnotic atmospheric doom from the first album have remained added with blistering NWOBHM inspired metal, classic metal no fake powermetal shit here. Graveyard Poetry takes Abdullah forward on their mission. The tracklist is almost impressive, the first 13 tracks blows out a few cells out of my head, its the last track They,The Tyrants that puts the rating down a little a typical blackmetal inspired piece not my bag, that is the only number that doesnt fit in. The rest Black Helicopters, A dark but Shining Sun etc. makes Graveyard Poetry one of the top 5 of metal releases 2002 on my list. Strong vocals, fanastic guitarwork and a brilliant backing section. Graveyard Poetry smokes!!!!. GL Productions --------------------------------------- Doom-Alive Abdullah Graveyard Poetry I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison Records If you're a fan of the sort of bluesy doom metal peddled by the likes of Pentagram, Witchfinder General et al then chances are that this will be right up your street. With more of an emphasis on writing proper songs rather than just trying to be the sonic equivelant of being caught in a drying slag-heap, this is more than just another "stoner" record. Far from it. Just like "Kill 'Em All" was more than just another thrash record, this is just a wide reaching metal record. Sure, you can smoke to it if you want to, but there's other moods and emotions on display here, and are well represented in the songwriting, from the massively chorused "A Dark But Shining Sun" to the slow, epic "Behold A Pale Horse", which leaves "Graveyard Poetry" a very pleasureable record indeed. Doom-Alive --------------------------------------- Uncle Dan's House of Smut Abdullah--Graveyard Poetry MeteorCity 2002 For doom and "stoner rock" fans, Abdullah's Graveyard Poetry album is one of 2002's most anticipated releases. As far back as their Snake Lore demo, this band has set new benchmarks for melodic doom metal. This is still the case, but Graveyard Poetry sees Abdullah stretch a bit outside of those confines--successfully so. Although there is a definite progression in Abdullah's sound with Graveyard Poetry, for the most part, things can be described much the same as always with this band. Basically, Abdullah play a melodic brand of doom which sounds like a cross between Alice In Chains and the Obsessed. On Graveyard Poetry, there is a definite focus on the melodic aspects of Abdullah's sound, making the Alice In Chains influence come through stronger than ever. Still, doom fiends will find plenty to like in tracks such as "Black Hellicopters" and the super-heavy "Behold A Pale Horse." That being said, where Graveyard Poetry really shines is when Abdullah drastically depart from anything familiar to their base sound. On three tracks, "Deprogrammed," "Strange Benedictions," and "Guided By The Spirit," Abdullah play in a style that sounds like Point Of Entry era Judas Priest if former Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna was on vocals. It's a brave move doing material like this considering Abdullah sits on the throne of melodic doom, but it's a move that certainly pays off. With Graveyard Poetry, Abdullah have managed to further establish their dominance as the world's premiere melodic doom outfit, while simultaneously creating new musical horizons for themselves. It sounds like a sticky proposition, but Abdullah pull things off in a way that makes the growth seem effortless. Certainly a different kind of album in many respects, but still a healthy injection of doom to be had. This one is a keeper. Uncle Dan's House of Smut --------------------------------------- Zoopa Loop ABDULLAH "Graveyard poetry" ( Metorcity Records / People like you ) Compared to the positive feedback that their debut album had received two years ago, this brand new Cd from Abdullah was really expected by most of the doomsters around the globe. On their first album, they had succeeded to bring a kind of lyricism back into the doom genre and by the way they were described as the legitimate successor of such bands as Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus which were the first ones, after Black Sabbath's Dio era, to lead the genre to a lyrical dimension. When their sound was rooted in metal, the band didn't put all their influences in their music and stayed very close to doom structures, maybe too close. First, I think that "Graveyard poetry" very much fits with what the band had in mind when they have recorded these 14 tracks. The main change is that their music develops different looks which are either their well known heavy doom vibe or new early heavy metal guitar licks. After a short liquid intro "Rune", the album really starts with "Black helicopters", an up tempo track where Abdullah shows all its love for heavy metal. This number combines some delicious Trouble influenced moments with a serious nod to 80's bands as Tank specially on some of the guitar riffs. But such tracks as "Deprogramed", "A dark but shining sun", "Strange benedictions", "Medicine man", "Guided by the spirit" and "They, the tyrants" develops even more power and become some pure heavy metal riots which will consequently surprise those who were expecting an album in the line of their previous one.These songs really point at the New Wave of British Heavy Metal period. Of course, there are some remains of doom in their songs but they are less flagrant. "Pantheistic", "Salamander", "Secret teaching of lost ages" or "Behold a pale horse" are some of the numbers which keep a heavy doom structure on the instrumental backdrop while the above-mentioned lyrical aura of the band appears. But they combine each backdrop with some dynamic metallic lines to create a very interesting blend which hugely reminds me of Solitude Aeturnus. I have also felt some 70's heavy rock flavours rising up specially on "The whimper of whipped dogs" and "Beyond the mountain" when some Bill Ward inspired drums parts set the pace and bring a groovy touch to both tracks. Covering melodic doom, heavy metal as well as sometimes 70's hard rock, "Graveyard poetry" is the album that places the band as the principal actor of the revival of a genre which was losing a bit of its beauty these last few years.With this record more various, Abdullah should easily find a place in the records collection of the metalheads who like when a record sounds both melodic and energetic. Zoopa Loop --------------------------------------- Dakka Dakka Abdullah : Graveyard Poetry (I used to fuck people like you in prison Records) Even though Jeff Shirilla of Abdullah claims to be influenced by NWOBHM bands like 'Diamond Head', 'Tank', 'Holocaust' and 'Tygers of Pan Tang', the main influence on this CD is without doubt Black Sabbath, as it should be if you're playing Stoner Rock. So, don't let the Gothic sleeve fool you, they are not a Gothic band. Abdullah is in fact simply a good Stoner band. Apart from the absence of psychedelic influences (note: some, certainly not all, Stoner bands have a more psychedelic sound) their music displays most building blocks of the genre in good proportions: the muddy yet heavy 70's inspired guitar sound, the predominantly slow rhythms, all that with good vocals on top. There are some songs that could pass for 80's NWOBHM though. 'Deprogramed' is a good example. It sounds a lot like 'Diamond Head', while 'Guided by the spirit' could've been on a 'Holocaust' or a 'Blitzkrieg' album. Another not so stoner track is 'They, the tyrants', which approaches Death metal ferocity (including grunt vocals). Dakka Dakka will be playing 'Deprogramed', as well as one of the Stoner tracks (probably the opener 'Rune' or the excellent 13th track 'Behold a pale horse' with it's 'Danzig'-ish vocals). So tune in to Radio Scorpio and discover Abdullah's latest. You won't regret it. Dakka Dakka --------------------------------------- Rock Hard Place ABDULLAH - "Graveyard Poetry" Definitely one of the more interesting albums I've heard in some time.� And I use "album" in terms of how it used to be when bands did "albums" rather than a collection or corporate dribble.� They're nearly impossible to classify as they have elements of Stoner Rock, Metal, Psychedelic and some modern elements mixed in as well.� It would be easier if frontman Jeff Shirilla didn't have such a powerful, clean and melodic voice.� His haunting vocals have gothic overtones that cut right to the bone. They site "The Doors", "Black Sabbath" and "Hawkwind" as influences, which explains their diverse sounds.� I really believe that if you like rock music of any genre, you'll at least appreciate what these guys are doing.� At times they pound out a mountain of sludge-Metal, the next track will be a strait-forward rocker, they keep you guessing, which is the opposite of the mainstream releases nowadays. I personally like the shorter, heavier and melodic cuts like "A Dark But Shining Sun" and "Deprogramed". But there's nothing wrong with the Doom-laden "The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs" or "Secret Teachings Of Lost Ages".�� All in all it's a very solid album from beginning to end.� Definitely one for the collection if you claim to be any sort of music lover. Rock Hard Place --------------------------------------- Utter Trash Abdullah - �Graveyard Poetry� (Meteor City) Review by Bob Ignizio With �Graveyard Poetry�, Abdullah pretty much obliterate any thoughts of a sophomore slump. Ignoring the confines of such labels as "stoner rock" or "doom metal", the band have delivered a strong set of material that acknowledges the past, lives in the present, and looks to the future. Overall, there�s a lot more energy on this album than its predecessor. That�s probably due in some part to having a full band this time; new members Ed Stephens (bass) and Jim Simonian (drums) provide a solid foundation for Jeff Shirilla�s passionate vocals and Alan Seibert�s inspired fretwork. Add Shirilla�s thoughtful, intelligent lyrics to the mix and you wind up with one of the best rock albums of the year. "Black Helicopters" moves along at a nice steady pace rather than dragging its feet in typical doom metal fashion, and features some killer Sabbath style riffing and a knockout vocal performance. "A Dark but Shining Sun" is a simple but effective rocker with an almost punk attitude, while "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" is a slow ominous number with a gloomy sing along chorus. The group also displays a good deal of New Wave of British Heavy Metal influence on this album ("Deprogrammed", "Strange Benedictions", "Guided by the Spirit") and a few tendencies towards majestic rock epics ("Pantheistic", "Behold a Pale Horse") before ending things with a touch of death metal ("They, The Tyrants"). Utter Trash --------------------------------------- Kerrang! Issue 924 - Oct. 5, 2002 Abdullah Graveyard Poetry KK Review by Steve Beebee American metalheads stuck in second gear. YOU'RE A band that likes Monster Magnet and already knows how to play a bit. The next progressive step is somehow to make your music stand-out from the crowd. Abdullah have no problem with the first point, but sadly fail drastically on the second. 'Graveyard Poetry' is one of those unbelievably average albums that leave you with no tangible sensation or aftertaste. 'Black Helicopters' and 'Deprogramed' (sic) do have meaty guitar licks, but a watery production rarely allows them to bludgeon through the speakers like they should. Jeff Shirilla's vocals are--like everything else about Abdullah--capable but not exceptional. There's nothing wrong with a dosage of pure metal, but this Cleveland-based act cannot turn their spark into fire. Kerrang --------------------------------------- Ultimate Metal ABDULLAH - GRAVEYARD POETRY Meteor City - 2002 Review by Gonzo With all recent releases from meteor city, it's been my first taste of each band's sound - the monstrous Mushroom River Band, the groovy smootheness of Spiritu - and this, Abdullah's 6th release, is no different. I have no idea who these guys are, whether this album is representative of their sound, or even if it's considered worthy when held against their back catalogue. What I do know, however, is that despite maintaining the feel of your general 'stoner' band, ABDULLAH cross-pollinate it with spacey sounds, solid song writing that pulls in more general rock sounds in its melodies. Those slow, doomy riffs are there still ('The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs' is almost pure Sabbath), but 'Deprogrammed' has a Motorhead ferocity about it showered with melodic vox, making it quite palatable. The 7-minute 'Strange Benediction' has a classic-rock vibe, with a smoothe breakdown in its middle section before turning into a solo-ing riffathon. 'Medicine Man' is a magical moment where vocalist Jeff Shirilla lets rip and the swirling riffs, seemingly melting all the essences of heavy rock from the last 30 years, followed by the full-speed 'Guided By The Spirit'. And then they throw it all to the wind for the full-on 'They, The Tryants', with double-tracked vocals, at times deathish growls and, basically, an almost-metal approach to the song. Graveyard Poetry is an example of pushing a genre (and the conceptions of it) - a 'stoner rock' album that simply can't be categorised as one. Metal fans will dig it, riff-rock fans will drool, and anyone else should simply sit and enjoy its lushness. Ultimate Metal --------------------------------------- Unrestrained Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Tate Bengtson While Abdullah's sophomore album keeps the band's core sound intact, it is an album that witnesses an impressive spreading of the wings in terms of musical influences that it references. In contrast to the band's fantastic debut album, which was almost entirely rooted in the finest vestiges of melodic doom rock, the 14 tracks of 'Graveyard Poetry' allow the band to transcend its existing parameters and allow its '70s hard rock and heavy metal influences to emerge in stark relief. This is a band that is perfectly capable of moving from Black Sabbath to Deep Purple to The Obsessed to-gasp-Venom without missing a stride. And, just for kicks, they might even toss in a whiff or two of late '70s Judas Priest to keep you on your toes. While songs like "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" and "Pantheistic" carry along very much in the tradition of old, with sludge-filled axe riffs lumbering forth, vocalist Jeff Shirilla uncaps his impressive pipes and emits mesmerizing harmonies that mix Ozzy Osbourne with Scott "Wino" Weinrich with Ian Gillan. The '70s rock influence is at its strongest on "Deprogrammed", where amphetemine-driven greasy biker riffrock suddenly veers into a total Deep Purple-loving dinoriff that stomps with alarming simplicity. AMong the more striking tracks on 'Graveyard Poetry' are the final pair, "Behold A Pale Horse" and "They, The Tyrants." The former tramps and trudges through tar pit doom dirges while Shirilla croons like a funeral hymn gone terribly awry, soaring with one of his most compelling deliveries yet heard, while, every now and then, a gentle piano refrain rises through the mire like a phoenix destined for another brief incarnation before succumbing to its own irresistable urge for self-immolation. The latter, as the song title might suggest, is an ode to '80s black metal pioneers Venom and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, punked out and vicious, an intriguing of perverse snarls and disarming melodies that are impaled upon the spiteful guitar attack, in what makes for an unexpected but decidely fitting conclusion. While I admittedly found the diversity of styles and the quantity of tracks to be a bit daunting at first, the challenges posed are negligible next to the rewards gained through repeated and attentive exposure to 'Graveyard Poetry'. 8.5 --------------------------------------- Noize Review has been translated from Italian to English. ABDULLAH - Graveyard Poetry Review by Living Rain Suddenly, a blaze in the sky. That's how the newalbum from Abdullah could be described. The sepulchral poetry from which it takes inspiration could make you think about a simple depressive work for the real fanatics of doom. Well, I'm happy to tell you that it's not only that. After the S/T debut that had already left a mark on those who like obscure sounds, this new "Graveyard Poetry" take what the band expressed in the past to a higher level. The four-piece from Ohio refined its songwriting, that now switches from a typical doom style (but always enriched by elaborated progressive sounds) to moments of pure classic metal, with 70's-inspired melodies and vibrations. Vocalist Jeff Shririlla left the drums to the new-entry Jim Simonian (that with Ed Stephens on bass constitutes a great rhythm section) and now concentrates on vocals exclusively: Jeff is really inspired, he sings with high quality level on different ranges, hitting the tartet even when he wants to sound more delicate and deep. Alan Seibert's guitars are as variagated as always, thanks to dark riffs but also groovier solutions. The doomy episodes are the ones that convinced me more, as testified by real pearls like the initial "Black Helicopters", that - introduced by "Rune" - explodes in his magmatic charge, or "A Dark But Shining Sun" (with Shirilla's intricated vocal melodies) and "The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs", that seems to come out from Mourn's doom masterpiece "Rise Above". You can find other similar moments during "Pantheistic" (with a superb chorus), the melancholic "Salamander" - a true manifesto of obscure and soul-touching doom - and in the immense "Secret Teachings Of The Lost Ages", a monolith like the ones from Trouble, but still personal as for techincal skill. But the thing that surprises the most while listening to this album, is the presence of the tracks in perfect NWOBHM style: we're talking of "Deprogramed" (between Tygers Of Pan Tang and Holocaust); "Strange Benedictions", seven minutes inspired by Angel Witch and Def Leppard, with a hard rock break and a breath-taking final crescendo � la Iron Maiden; and "Guided By The Spirit", that - if it wasn't for its release date - seems to come out from a Diamond Head record. On the album there are also other genius and original tracks like the liquid hard doom full of Hendrixian wah-wah of "Beyond The Mountain", the dynamic heavy rock of "Medicine Man", the gothic doom sound of the long "Behold A Pale Horse (with those classy piano notes at its begging) and the progressive thrash of the last song, "They The Tyrants". There are no words for describing how beauty this record is, only listening to it can lead you through the dimension created by Abdullah. All I can add is to let that this real cemeterial poetry seduce you. Noize --------------------------------------- CMJ ABDULLAH: Graveyard Poetry Review by Amy Sciarretto When a disc opens with the sound of whipping wind, it's a pretty strong indication that you're going to get a doom 'n' gloom, not-so-positive album. Graveyard Poetry isn't as "gothic" (and we mean that in the classic sense of the word, as in black skies, clouds and chilly weather, not black-lipsticked, pasty-faced mall rats) as one might think. The album is mid-paced stoner rock that walks parallel to the doomy rock path. Vocalist Jeff Shirilla sings tonally throughout, and guitarist Alan Seibert doesn't let the riffination get out of control. "Black Helicopters" and "Pantheistic" more than satisfy the rock jones. CMJ --------------------------------------- Rip N' Tear #16 Fall 2002 Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Alex Ristic An awesome display of seventies flavoured rock, Abdullah makes you forget recent Black Sabbath in favor of that first love you had back in high school. Resemblances to both music and vocals of classic era Sabbath (Jeff Shirilla sounds like Ozzy's younger brother), the tunes on Graveyard Poetry are what one fantasizes for the current incarnation of Sabbath to create. It ain't going to happen, so why not turn on "A Dark But Shining Sun" or "Pantheistic" to get your fix? Enough good things just can't be said about this band; tight playing, classic arrangements, dark moods, hard rocking, great vocals - the entire package is here. Although some detractors will eventually call Abdullah a clone band, that can't be entirely correct, because Sabbath hasn't created anything new with the classic line-up in years. Think of it as your kid brother following in your footsteps on your alma mater's football team. A tremendous, thundering release. 9.5 out of 10 (also listed #1 in the editor's "Ripping Picks" section) --------------------------------------- Babysue Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (CD, MeteorCity, Rock) Heavily influenced by the first three Black Sabbath albums, Abdullah is a hard rock band that focuses on songs and melodies. The guitars are loud and the band powerful...but the singer has an Ozzy-ish voice that rises above the music and provides a great focal point for the band's music. Most of the music is solid rock heavy...but a few of the tracks go off on a more trippy, obtuse angle ("Salamander" is a good example of this--one of our favorites on the album). Abdullah is a hard rock band with a modern sound that should please any fan of 1970s stoner rock... (Rating: 4+++) Babysue --------------------------------------- Dead Angel Issue 54 Abdullah -- GRAVEYARD POETRY [Meteor City] Abdullah have come a long way. I remember receiving a demo from these guys way back in 1999. * The tape was really strong. They played old-school doom rock with a hint of blackmetal. What made it even more impressive was that the whole thing was done by two guys. Jump to 2002: They're still playing old-school doom rock, but the touch of black metal has been replaced with a pile of NWOBHM. Seriously, it sounds like before recording GRAVEYARD POETRY they locked themselves in a room with a stack of Diamond Head and Witchfynde records -- that or they've been spending entirely too much time hanging with fellow Ohio natives Boulder. What this means is that Abdullah have managed to pull together a record that makes it seem like the whole stoner rock thing never happened. Fans of the Hellhound Recs. bands and The Obsessed or Trouble circa 1989 should be all over this disc. [n/a] * I believe said demo was re-released by Rage of Achilles Records back in 2000. Dead Angel issue 54 --------------------------------------- Primal Agony ABDULLAH - "GRAVEYARD POETRY" (METEORCITY) Review by Ian Busch Meteorcity has a host of doom/stoner bands on their list and Abdullah is another band of excellent quality to recently release an album that is bound to become a classic within this genre. However there is so much more to their sound than what is expected from the doom/stoner tag. They also carry within the album a sound that reminded me of the grunge era stylings of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden plus they aren't afraid to incorporate classic British Metal sounds of the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy to the overall outcome of the album. They even venture slighty into the realm of Death Metal on the final track but still doom/stoner rock this will be tagged. They break this mould of the tag and come up with an album diverse, heavy and still riff laiden from start to finish.Although Abdullah are new to me this is infact their second full album through Meteorcity and their sixth release overall from what I gather. "Black Helicopters" pulls a bunch of up-tempo stoner/doom riffs together with that stoner groove sound you hear often giving the album an uplifting starting point. The same applies to "The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs" although a little more doomy in the riff department. The thing about these songs and the sludge filled riffs is that they are so addictive causing a instant connection to it. 70's influenced metal rears its head during "Deprogramed" and the down tuned riffs in adundance on "Pantheistic" very much reminded me of the great band trouble on this excellent song. There are so many good songs on here, infact they are all great but out of thirteen song plus one intro they saved two of the best until the final two tracks. "Behold A Pale Horse" is classic doom with a hint of stoner and "Thy, The Tyrants" is the biggest surprise with a mix of punk, death metal and stoner. While there are a lot of great albums of this genre around "Graveyard Poetry" sits a little higher than most in quality and is well worth a listen. Primal Agony --------------------------------------- White Trash Devil Abdullah Graveyard Poetry MeteorCity 2002 Review by Jam It's hard to label Abdullah as just a 'doom' band. When I use the term doom, I'm usually describing slow, heavy depressing nihilistic metal (for lack of a better term). Abdullah are certainly doomed for there is a real sense of darkness here, but the music is often up tempo, with a bit of a New Wave of British Heavy Metal, early Iron Maiden, Judas Priest influence. But don't fret; the vocals are melodic but not operatic. There's no extreme high note screeching. In fact, there are even some truly sinister sounding vocals (as used on the band's earliest demos) on "They, The Tyrants". The riffs have that instantly likable punch found in early Maiden, and decent Judas Priest songs. There's just something cool about the riffs. You hear it and you know you're not listening to some lame by-the-book formula band. I'm sure there's some formula for it, but it's not like many people use it anymore. The difference between Abdullah and bands like Brothers Of Conquest (who do NWOBHM style metal with a southern flair) is that Abdullah have more of a doom influence. There are a number of slower doom laden dirges on this album. Another touchstone would be Trouble, especially the Def American and Plastic Green Head-era Trouble. That mix of doom and classic metal. That's not to say this stuff feels derivative -- in fact, Abdullah bring even more moodiness to the table. Trouble never did anything as depressing as "Pantheistic". The riff itself is deadly dark, and it feels darker when combined with phrases like, "A communion of uncertainty and guilt" and a chorus of "I feel helpless/all alone". Of course, I could've really done without the whole Earth worship thing. It's vague enough to keep the song from becoming goofy, but still, the whole mother Earth thing is a pretty tired reference to use. I think my favorite part of these songs is the lyrics. There's a sense of imagery and yes, even poetry of the graveyard variety. This is dark, spooky, Fall music. A driving kind of fall music. This is the kind of music to drive your car into a tree to. You don't get more doom than a chorus that consists of "Long gone, done, dead" ("The Whimper of Whipped Dogs", which includes the line, "Keep repeating your lies until they sound like the truth"). And then there's stuff like "Salamander" with lines like "we will claim this world as our own". The lyrics and melodies just stick around in my head. The song titles alone had me hooked. Some of the odd songs like "Strange Benidictions", "Guided By The Spirit" and "A Dark But Shining Sun" are extremely accessible, up tempo tracks. "Behold A Pale Horse" lives up to its apocalyptic title with a killer slow groove and lines like "we all are agents of sickness / a conspiracy of frailty / so lost in the guilt / let's worship the idol built", and "So I pray now for the ending of this light". Graveyard Poetry is just a damn fine album, one of those that are all over the place but it never gives the feeling of being scattershot. The songs are heavy and often as instantly memorable as anything you'll hear on the radio. Abduallah's music is just far too heavy, uncompromisingly dark and depressing to reach a wide audience. Definitely one of the best albums I've heard all year. There's been a bumper crop of heavy stuff this year, but this one really stands out. White Trash Devil --------------------------------------- Metal Observer Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry - USA - 2002 Genre: Stoner Rock Label: Meteor City Playing time: 64:45 Here is another band that is tossed in the category of Stoner Rock for lack of a better term. The question is though, can they stand on their own or just be another dime a dozen band. While the scene has been calmed down for quite some time, some people won't let sleeping dogs lie and these guys are going to wake your ass up and rock the hell out of you. Besides being influenced by the typical SABBATH sludge doom and gloom sound, they also throw in the psychedelic of PINK FLOYD. "Black Helicopters" is a groovin' and jammin' song with the psychedelic sound thrown in that will have you shaking your scraggly long hair and playing air guitar to the jams. Very upbeat and smooth. Most of these songs here are quick and just jammed with energy. When the songs slow down finally, it's already half way through the disc that comes in the form of "Pantheistic". You will hear the SABBATH influence without a shadow of a doubt. What is really cool here if you can pick it out is that these guys are THIN LIZZY fans and their riffs show it on "Strange Benedictions" which has the sound of "Sweetheart" from the "Chinatown"-CD. These guys put a lot of effort and time into this CD and it's to hear that it doesn't resemble the other dime a dozen bands that are in existence. (7/10) Metal Observer --------------------------------------- Tangerine Magazine Abdullah: Graveyard Poetry CD (MeteorCity) Review by Glenn Tillman Another amazing release from the melancholy mind of doom wizard Jeff Shirilla. Full of haunting, Sabbathesque riff terror and lyrics so profound and wondrous that they can be read alone like modern day Poe(try), as in Edgar Allan. Abdullah's first release is still one of my one hundred CDs I would take to an Elba exile, but this one is even more of a multifaceted gem, full of textures, tones, and sudden shifts that run the gamut from doom to rock to melody to NWoBHM and back again. This time I hear ghostly echoes of Diamondhead, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest as well as the anticipated Black Sabbath and St. Vitus homage. But Abdullah maintains a unique, identifiable sound all their own due to Shirilla's huge, resonant voice and his ability to bend and sustain every sung note to drive home the lyrical message with a purity of heart and the intellectual committment of a seer. Alan Seibert's demonic doom chords and wicked, quicksilver leads contribute additional character to the Abdullah sound and showcaes his ability to perfectly translate his songwriting partner's lyrical ideas into fearsome fretwork companion pieces that musically convey the same prophecies, apocalyptic imagery, and nightmare visions. Graveyard Poetry communicates more fully and intensely the messages of Abdullah's first attempt to awaken us to such eternal human concerns as disillusionment, spiritual frustration, and a search for meaning, melded to such themes as rebirth, renewal, and a return to the old religions. Every song balances knowledge and mystery to question the divine unknown. Every song blends the cadence and cascade phrasings of lyrical poetry with the emotional power of music to stimulate the intellect and stir the soul. As much magic as music, Abdullah's symphonic doom power is unequaled. Do you have the intellect to understand and appreciate truly intelligent lyrics and music? If you do, then ponder these musical missives and come to realize that every knee shall bow to the mighty Abdullah. Tangerine Magazine --------------------------------------- The Disciples of Dr. Demento Abdullah Graveyard Poetry Review by Greg Pratt CD OF THE WEEK! Step into the time machine and groove back to the seventies with Abdullah. Less good-time-stoner and more somber doom metal than most of MeteorCity's bands, Abdullah harness the energy of Sabbath and dip into some NWOBHM sounds on this classy full-length. There's something more vital here than most retro-Sab outfits; this stuff oozes with sincerity and desperation, the same vibe that made the aforementioned genres so compelling. It's a real trip through the mud and muck of the underbelly of bad moods, although not without a fair chunk of upbeat rockers (they sound depressing too, though). Graveyard Poetry isn't for everyone, as the slightly muddy production and excessive playing time alone are enough to send most casual listeners running away, not to mention the whole been there, done that vibe bands doing this thing inevitably let off. But those into the more introspective side of doom, and want it delivered with an organic feel and a good chunk of personality, should tune in to Graveyard Poetry. --------------------------------------- Candy for Bad Children Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry (People Like You Records) Review by Clay N. Ferno Somewhere in time you'll find a balance between the forces of metal and the forces of grunge rock. I may be dating myself here, but I remember this band named Nirvana started breaking ground and then all of the attention moved to Seattle. I unfortunately got a little bogged down in what can best be described as 'absolute crap' by my refined palate, but I also remember being totally blown away by the Metal Gods of the Seattle scene, early nineties. Bands like Soundgarden, Green River, and Alice in Chains made an adolescent boy feel like a part of something bigger than him. Abdullah makes me revisit all of those times when all I had was my comics and hard rock music and obviously no girlfriend. The singer Jeff Shirilla is tough and melodic. The production on Graveyard Poetry is really clean with a crisp dual guitar attack, muddy bass, and a drummer who is more all over the place than John Bonham himself. Listen carefully for some harmonized piano on this disc as well. Some people call this music stoner doom. I call it as I see it-Metal. My favorite track here is the Maiden and Priest inspired, "Guided by the Spirit." Serpents are sure to haunt your dreams for years to come after letting your eardrums are pummeled to bits by this track. You'll be sure to run to the hills. Candy for Bad Children --------------------------------------- Musica ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry MeteorCity Review by Kai Mathias Stalhammar What is MeteorCity? US' (and probably whole world's) most worthy record company when it comes to doom-rock / stoner music. What is ABDULLAH? One of the most stunning combos these guys ever managed to ink a deal with. What is Graveyard Poetry ? The second work of theirs. Much better than self-titled CD which appeared to be the first-ever assault ABDULLAH made on my ears. Wasn't that one worth a shit? Well, it was worth a good review. And a good mark. Hence? Well, hence Graveyard Poetry is a hell out of a CD. A bit of doom and a bit of stoner? Most likely, a brilliant mixture of both. ABDULLAH isn't a duo anymore; it's a quartet. Perhaps, this lineup's enlargement made 'em lose a certain kind of charm, however the question is: what did they gain by it? The answer is no less simple: A LOT! Graveyard Poetry sounds way more attractive than Abdullah. And it's not a matter of composition it's a matter of how the songs have been performed and executed. Two men is good, four is better? Well, seems like that's right. And now let me ask you to go to MeteorCity's official website and take a look at Graveyard Poetry s appearance. Fascinated? And now examine the lyrics. Once again, fascinated? Well, believe me, you will be equally fascinated by ABDULLAH s music. rating: 5 / 6 Musica --------------------------------------- TooSquare Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry Now this is hard rocking metal the way it should be done. Abdullah does an awesome job of bringing old school metal sounds in a modern in your face way. Hard driving beats and ripping guitars accompanied by crisp vocals come together to make a metal sound that pays tribute to earlier bands but has its own unique style. This cd goes from driving head banging tracks to stoner rock style songs that will remind you of �sleep� ( track 10 ). If you want metal, Abdullah can bring it to you. TooSquare --------------------------------------- Aversion Online Abdullah "Graveyard Poetry" [Meteor City] This is in line with a lot of what Meteor City seems to put out in that it's got that doom-ish, "stoner rock" type of vibe going on (man, I hate that fucking term, there's got to be something better to call this style of music), but it's something more than that. In this case there are a lot of unusual tempo changes (the pace tends to be faster than one might expect), and the songs can be a bit more catchy and rocked out as well. I think a lot of it has to do with the strong vocal performance (straight midrange singing, basically), but even on a musical level tracks like "A Dark But Shining Sun" and "Deprogrammed" are pretty damn memorable. Hell, "Deprogrammed" almost sounds like it could have been on fuckin' "Shout at the Devil", and I mean that in a god damn good way! There's even a surprising, dark grunge type of feel coming in with a few songs along the lines of "Salamander". I don't mind the recording so much. The mix is pretty strong, and it gets the job done. I could deal with the vocals being mixed back in with the music a little bit, and a heavier guitar sound probably wouldn't do any harm, but everything sounds pretty damn nice. As far as the layout goes, surprisingly enough I don't care for the front cover at all, but I enjoy the rest of the visuals. I don't know what it is about the cover, I think it's the little icon of the bird and the circles/symbols... the photo is fine, but the rest is tacky. The images inside are much more abstract and interesting, and the lyrics (printed on black and white pages rather than full color) are very cleanly arranged throughout. The lyrics seem pretty involved, there are some rather lengthy passages and some of the ideas at hand are interesting, "I've known all along. The secrets kept in protocol. We all are agents of sickness. A conspiracy of frailty. So lost in the guilt. Let's worship the idols built to ease the pain of creation and to grant us immortality. Still we wander into foreign lands. In search of power we don't understand. So I pray for the ending of the lie. And the darkness will perpetuate the night. So I wait now for the ending of the lie. The protocol of the elder code will rule..." This is worth checking out if you're into this style but want something with a little more variety. I can't compare these guys to anyone else out there because they're covering a lot of ground, and that's a great thing in this case. 6/10 Aversion Online --------------------------------------- Metal Nightmare Magazine Issue 13 ABDULLAH GRAVEYARD POETRY 2002 METEORCITY RECORDS This is the drug I need! When it comes to heavy rock, ABDULLAH is it! I'm totally into their sound, which has some pretty strong roots in the NWOBHM, but also draws a ton of influence from the almighty TROUBLE. There's really not much more that I can ask for, since the disc is insanely long, and it's plain to hear that the guys have worked very goddamn hard on every aspect. That's not too common these days, or at least it seems that way. Suffice to say, this is a killer stoner rock album, with some influences you might not have expected. Metal Nightmare Magazine --------------------------------------- Backfire Volume 5, No. 4 Dec. 2002 - Feb. 2003 Abdullah Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Adem Tepedelen MeteorCity seems to have a knack for finding contemporary metal bands that play classic-sounding metal. Abdullah sounds like something out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, circa 1979. And that's a good thing. Tons of great heavy riffing, melodic vocals and catchy songs that are loaded with strong choruses. Angelwitch, Diamond Head and, perhaps, Holocaust are good reference points for this anachronistic Richfield, Ohio four-piece. They also invoke a gothic/doom vibe on slower tracks like "Pantheistic" and "Salamander" that channels St. Vitus' long-lost spirit. Not exactly black metal, but very, very dark, nonetheless. A solid second effort for a group seemingly dedicated to carrying on the work of a previous generation of influential bands. Solid stuff for any fans of that era. --------------------------------------- Metal Maniacs Volume 20, #3 March 2003 Abdullah Meteorcity Review by Sue Nolz Only once ever several years does an album come along that is so in tune with your own resonant frequency you would swear it was created for you alone. When I heard Abdullah's Graveyard Poetry, I was blindsided by the subtle enormity of it's power, helpless to move or think or do anything but listen and feel the sound washing over me. Hungrily, I played it over and over again, am still playing it almost daily, the songs now planted permanently in my consciousness. I find the melodies entering my thoughts unbidden, bringing me a moment's joy as I sludge through my "day job" grind or wash up the dishes after dinner. Will Graveyard Poetry speak to you, resonate within you and mesmerize you the way it does me? That I cannot answer, although I certainly hope you'll explore the possibility. In an attempt to explain the music itself, beyond the overall feeling it stirs, let me begin by saying that vocalist Jeff Shirilla has the most beautifully expressive voice I've heard in eons. In tone he compares to Dax Riggs (ex-Acid Bath) at his best and most inflective. But where Dax always left you feeling down, Jeff's is a voice to soothe the soul. It never gets abrasive or shrill, even on a fast-paced track like "Guided By The Spirit." As the principal songwriter in the band, he carries his vision through his vocals, adding that much more power to the performance. Though the poetic lyrics and their deeply spiritual meanderings are a story for another day, songs with titles like "A Dark But Shining Sun," "Behold A Pale Horse" and "Secret Teachings of Lost Ages" are clearly not your average, "Hey Bud, let's party and rock 'n roll." Together with Jeff are three outstanding musicians who play a brilliant, inspired blend of modern doomy rock melded with textbook Diamond Head/Angel Witch NWOBHM. Believe it! The charging riffs that embody "Deprogramed" and "Strange Benedictions" are the most telling examples, but the essence of the great British movement is threaded throughout this amazing album. Guitarist Alan Seibert's clean, true guitar sound and flawless leads, along with Ed Stephens' impeccable basswork and the understated drumming of Jim Simonian, certainly hearkens back to better days, musically speaking at least. Where many bands today are simply tuning down to create a heavy sound, Abdullah crushes them all through mood, atmosphere and meaning. And so from somewhere in Ohio comes a band that matters. A band that speaks softly, carries a big stick and is waiting to pummel you with it. A sleeping giant has awakened, and you have been warned. Metal Maniacs --------------------------------------- Shockwaves Issue 8 ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry Meteor City Review by Bob Nalbandian The band's follow-up to their dark and gloomy self-titled debut shows them in a more experimental mode. The traces of early Sabbath are still ever-so-prevalent, but they show much more musical diversity on this sophomore effort. Produced by legendary '70s producer Paul Hamann (Grand Funk, James Gang, Bloodrock), Abdullah sounds surprisingly fresh, at the same time bringing back great memories of classic '70s metal and the NWOBHM era. Still, many of the 14 songs on Graveyard Poetry drag a bit too much in places, but the musicianship and vocals sound solid and well executed. Highlights include; "A Dark But Shining Sun," "Beyond the Mountain" (with hints of Alice In Chains), and "Medicine Man." Shockwaves CD Reviews --------------------------------------- High Bias ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity) Review by Michael Tolan Like a lot of bands lumped under the "stoner rock" banner, Ohio's Abdullah has been expanding its sound exponentially, adding elements from disfavored metal gods past to its psychedelic Sabbath core. Expanded from a duo to a quartet on its second album Graveyard Poetry, Abdullah puts its psychospiritual riff metal through the filters of early 80s British hard rock, 70s arena metal and 90s alternametal for an instantly recognizable yet distinctive sound. Unrelenting heavy hitters like "Black Helicopters" and "Strange Benedictions" contrast with groovier excursions like "Salamander" and "Medicine Man." While guitarist Alan Seibert capably colors the tracks with sludge-heavy riffs and fleet-fingered solos, the focus sits squarely on the shoulders of singer/songwriter Jeff Shirilla. His gruff but articulate projection and probing lyrics (from "Strange Benedictions:" "A strange blessing indeed when what I hate is what I need/And all desire is twisted into something unknown") form the core of what makes Abdullah special, and tunes like "Secret Teachings of Lost Ages" and "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" (title courtesy Harlan Ellison) sound like the realizations of a very personal vision of heavy metal. Graveyard Poetry shows Abdullah to be a restlessly creative, spiritually questing heavy rock band, and the world could always use a few more of those. High Bias --------------------------------------- The Refugee Abdullah- Graveyard Poetry Review by Chris Eicher Versatility is the name of the game on this album. With a sound ranging from Doom Metal to Stoner Rock to Motley Crue Meteor City�s Abdullah has lifted a certain finger gesture to anyone who would look to classify their music. Building on their self-titled debut (a two man effort), Abdullah have expanded the musical pallet with an assortment of influences while still managing to stay true to their already established fan base. Graveyard Poetry�s highlights include the Motley Crue sounding "Strange Benedictions" and the speed metal "Guided by the Spirit." The magic on this album comes early and often with tracks three and four ("A Dark but Shining Sun" and "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs") delivering a stoner rock like punch which leads into track 5 ("Deprogrammed") a jolting guitar driven slice of excellence ala Judas Priest. This album brings to mind one word; musicianship. Meteor City is hailed by many as the premier label for hard rock music in the country. Abdullah makes an excellent argument to back up that statement. It is albums like this that show what hard rock music could be; diverse, lyrically efficient, and musically excellent. If you are into classic rock, stoner rock, or are sick of Nu-Metal this is an album to check out. Song Recommendations- Whimper of Whipped Dogs, A Dark but Shining Sun, Guided by the Spirit **** The Refugee --------------------------------------- Stoned Gods ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry People Like U 2002 Review by Bokal Graveyard Poetry is the new album of Abdullah, the band leaded by Jeff Shirilla that has realized his good debut album a pair of years ago, demonstrating a certain quality in the stoner-doom scene. Now the band has got a pair of new official members and have recorded something really great, placed between the previous doom-stoner and some classic/thrash metal things as Diamond Head, Tank, Holocaust, Tigers of Pan Tang and the early Def Leppard, as admitted by Jeff. Honestly, the sound is now more various and sometimes faster than in the past and all the stoner fans near to the metal scene will surely appreciate it! Songs as Deprogrammed and Guided By The Spirit are really into the metal sound and I can talk about "classic stoner" listening to them, but I have to admit that are really kickin' ass tracks. The old Abdullah style can find in tracks as The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs and Beyond The Mountain, this one probably the most near to the self-titled album. I also like very much Black Helicopters, with his strong doom-metal riffing and the soft but sinister psychedelia of Salamander. Abdullah have move a new important step, givin' to the stoner-doom some fresh air with some metal and some faster aggressions, without loosing the very personal fashion of their style. Check out some mp3 in their site on the People Like You site (link s available in the link session). Ratings: Groove: 4/5 Psychedelia: 2/5 Heavyness: 4/5 Originality: 3/5 Overall rating: 4/5 Stoned Gods --------------------------------------- Indieville Abdullah Graveyard Poetry Review by Matt Shimmer Heavily anticipated, Graveyard Poetry is Abdullah's second album, and it's filled with all the power riffs, axe solos, and seventies metal vocals you could ever care for. If you're a stoner rock fan, or just a metal fan for that matter, you will almost definitely dig this album. Not only is the songwriting excellent, but the delivery is wicked. With an intense, ass-kicking sound, the band helps bring back memories of early Black Sabbath. In all their grandeur, the tunes absolutely rock you - the blasting, stadium-sized songs jerk you around unapologetically. The guitars tear you about, the drums beat you senseless, and the vocals tie it all together. All the songs are sure to please hard rock fans. "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs," for example, is a sludgy, doomy track with a wicked chorus that will make you want to crack open an Ozzy-era Sabbath album. "Medicine Man," meanwhile, is a powerful basher with a neat, rolling guitar riff. "They, The Tyrants," perhaps the album's most impressive track, is a violent, explosive scorcher with some nice death metal vocals and an insanely thrashing solo that will pick you up and rocket you into space. Cowards need not apply. If you're looking for some neat Sabbath-influenced metal, you can't go wrong with Abdullah. Though occasional black/death metal influences may put off some listeners, the album's zest for melody will keep them coming back. 85% Indieville --------------------------------------- All Music Guide Review by Brian O'Neill Abdullah's sophomore release improves upon an uneven debut by concentrating more on the band's Stonehenge rock tendencies as opposed to the southern-Gothic dabbling that previously diluted the band's sound, making Graveyard Poetry the best St. Vitus or Trouble record in ages (the latter is especially evident on "Pantheistic"), with a nice mixture of dirgy doomsaying downers, mid-tempo grinders and a complete lack of anything breaking the speed limit (not that this is missed). Most of the tracks go on for several minutes, but even the ones that clock in at only four minutes or so have an epic feel to them, making the disc a plodding affair that's the perfect soundtrack accompaniment to the sounds of bubbling bongwater and the munching of Cheetos. A track that actually crushes bones would be nice, however; maybe the third time will be a charm in that respect. 2.5 stars All Music Guide --------------------------------------- Zero Magazine Abdullah Graveyard Poetry MeteorCity Records Review by Mark Whittaker Kyuss never had it so good. I mean, the whole throw of post �70s rawk now in the hands of ex-punk rockers turned metal but bored stiff of the whole scene in general sometimes gets it right. Abdullah puncture speakers and wounds but incite much gentle kisses to the sore once it has been placed with heavy licks that don�t just generate the bubbling of much bongs but sing alongside the best of Deep Purple, Cream and Trouble. This is no heads up to the new faction of heavy rawk, such as the Hellacopters, Goatsnake, Fireball Ministry etc. etc... Graveyard Poetry works on so many levels of simplistic rock that I really do not want to get into it (much). Rather I just have you go and find out for yourself. But hurry...the sun is about to set and you�ll want to make that with this band/album. Especially if you are driving a sooped up Barracuda. Some folks don�t like this style of rock. Whatever. Without this sound there would be no metal to begin with... so in a sense, it�s a continuing homage to the roots of the regalia. Yeah. Zero Magazine --------------------------------------- OpenUpAndSay Abudullah Graveyard Poetry Meteor City A wide spectrum of 1970s rock is what Ohio-based stoner-rockers Abdullah display on their latest fourteen-track release. Everything from Thin Lizzy to Iron Maiden to Sabbath is lovingly emulated here, yet Abdullah's love of all things 1970s also sounds refreshingly new and exciting. Maybe it's because many of their American counterparts have forgotten how to rock, or perhaps the stoner rock contingent is too stoned to be diverse. Whatever the case, Abdullah's "Graveyard Poetry" pays homage without ripping off anyone and it will shake your soul. It is armed with crushing riffs by the bong-load, but it also is decisively fluid, ala C.O.C., which gives Abdullah an edge over many of the other lumbering bands out there. Nothing flashy nor fancy, but indeed a solid slab of rawk and roll, burnt to perfection. OpenUpAndSay --------------------------------------- Legends Magazine REVIEW: Abdullah - "Graveyard Poetry" By Dan Century It's winter again. Time for snow. Time for isolation. Time for long, depressing, cold nights with not much else to do besides drink and listen to music. It's a good time to drop a laser on a new CD, stare at a wall and shut out the world around you. Have you noticed how crappy the world has become - you might as well try to forget about it for 60 seconds, and enjoy some music. If you're going to burn up an hour of your life listening to a single CD, the music should be quality - no inane TRL/MTV crap, or soundtracks for car commercials. Abdullah's Graveyard Poetry is perfect music to accompany winter daydreaming, or runs to the liquor store for more Ellsinore lager: quality music to rock out to, and quality lyrics to contemplate between calls from your hoser friends. Abdullah's sound is a mix of three decades of hard rock & metal, minus the crap: no whiney raps, no hair-spray, no 500 beat-per-minute "classically influenced" guitar solos - only heavy riffs, tasty licks, ballsy bass, thundering drums and a singer who can sing & write lyrics that are too deep for me to even begin to comprehend. Graveyard Poetry should appeal to fans of Sabbath and Motorhead, Maiden and Metallica, Sound Garden and Alice In Chains, Monster Magnet and Clutch. Guitarist Alan Seibert deftly mixes an array of styles while never descending into cheesy showboating or losing focus of the task at hand. Alan's riffs roll and grind like industrial construction equipment and his soloing is as sweet and tasty as a college girl's lips. Singer and songwriter Jeff Shirilla's echo-drenched voice has the power and timbre to get the point of his lyrics across. Jeff's melodies are powerful enough that you'll find you're self singing along - even if you can't immediately decipher the meaning of his lyrics. Ed Stephens and Jim Simonian form a solid steel foundation that rumbles at 8 on the Richter scale. Grave Yard Poetry opens with Black Helicopters: an ode to those urban-legendary black copters that do evil shit for the shadow government (I guess). "Will the mainframe systems rot? Will you intercept our thoughts? Black helicopters circle just overhead." While the government can find out all they need just by reading your emails, it's amusing to think that I'm special enough to have someone send helicopters for me. The music is a solid mix of 80's crunch and 70's blues rock - setting the mood for most of the album. Shirilla sure can hold a "YEEEEEAAAAAHHHH"! Most of the songs on Graveyard Poetry are mid-tempo rockers, but there are a few "balls to the wall" and "smooth and deliberate" numbers. Disinformation rips from your speakers like an M61 Vulcan Canon, and They, The Tyrants is what it's like to have your village attacked by an AC-130U Spooky at 4:37 in the morning. Salamander creeps from the fire like a 10 story lizard descending on a shopping mall to leisurely snack on oblivious shoppers. For anyone wishing for real metal album with none of the cheesy gimmicks, look no further than Abdullah's Graveyard Poetry. Of all the bands in the stoner rock genre, Abdullah remains the most true to the Sabbath legacy. When was the last time you bought an album that you could truly enjoy from beginning to end? Graveyard Poetry is such an album. Legends Magazine --------------------------------------- Aural Innovations Abdullah - "Graveyard Poetry" (Meteor City 2002, MCY026) From Aural Innovations #22 (January 2003) Reviewed by Rashad Salahuddin Abdullah is the line-up of Jeff Shirilla (vocals), Alan Seibert (guitar), Ed Stephens (bass), and Jim Simonian (drums); they are out of Richfield, Ohio. As it is understood, Abdullah was the recording name vocalist Jeff Shirilla went under before it found itself as the name of the current band line-up. When it comes to the sounds or musicality of the group, there is a little hesitance about what to say concerning the "Graveyard Poetry" release. It may be a delight for certain types of rock/metal fans but I don't see the material (musically and lyrically) being a clean enough break from current and notorious trends in alternative rock/metal for it to be convincingly distinct. To stray away from comparisons, it can be said that the group doesn't seem to find memorable songwriting or a defining sound to create a distinct musical place for itself. Even with this said, the vocalist is solid and the musicians do play competently nonetheless. There is a point on the disc that brings more of this to light on the high-energy track "They, the tyrants." It is a song in the thrash metal playing style with death vocals to boot. In total, "Graveyard Poetry" falls short of creating enough standout moments to make it memorable. In closing, Abdullah needs to hone musical individuality first, to avoid being lost in the shuffle. Aural Innovations --------------------------------------- The Cutting Edge ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry Meteor City Records It is the voice of Abdullah's Jeff Shirilla that takes this disc to another plane. Bathed in Stoner sludge yet cloaked in a Gothic darkness the third outing for this Richfield, Ohio duo is significant. Remaining true to their legions of Stoner / Doom fans Shirilla and bassist, drummer Ed Stephens move in a slightly move melodic direction. The first evidence is 'A Dark But Shining Sun', the third track in. Winding up with a Judas Priest chug, the song ignites a side of Abdullah, as to now, has been unheard. Layered guitars make this an instant favorite. Keeping up three decades of influences, Abdullah move from Black Sabbath and Sisters of Mercy to Alice In Chains and Corrosion of Conformity. The duo arrange song and structure entrenched in �80s European hard rock with a current thick production. "Deprogrammed" is a perfect example with a Thin Lizzy / Motley Cr�e guitar riff while retaining the bands originality. Besides being the voice, Shirilla manages all guitars creating a rich texture from the padded wa-wa in �Beyond The Mountain� to the chunky drama that is �Black Helicopters.� Even on the first listen you�ll swear you�ve heard "Graveyard Poetry" before. It has a raw new energy yet keeps its feet firmly planted in the roots of the past. Writing memorable classics like the rumbling 'Salamander' to the album favorite �Strange Benedictions� the songs are what carry this record. Each time change, each monster riff or pounding rhythm, even the heavily used echo of Shirilla voice shoots straight to the soul When your still singing the chorus "Oh, Somewhere down the road" hours after the record has ended, says something. With 14 tracks and over 65 minutes of music there is plenty of opportunity to drop in a filler track or two. Not on this record. It�s one killer tune after another. Even the eerie piano scales in �Behold A Pale Horse� played by guest Bryan Stauffer embrace the song�s darkness giving the emotion of Shirilla voice a point of reference before jumping headlong into a fine metal whirlwind. �Guided By The Spirit� is another one of those song that could have fit on a number of mid-eighties import records. So well crafted, it could be straight off Mad Max "Rollin� Thunder" or Def Leppard�s "On Through The Night." The band is so proud of it you hear them say, "That�s Cool" as the song fades. The lyrics are remarkably mature dealing with subjects from science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison on 'The Whimper of Whipped Dogs' to the cult bible conspiracy on 'Behold A Pale Horse.' This is one of those must haves and not to be missed CDs. The Cutting Edge --------------------------------------- Enough Fanzine Abdullah - Graveyard Poetry By Michael From a record with that name on this label, I expected quite a lot, but I was sort of disapointed Can you imagine a bad collaboration between Entombed musicians playing some of their rockier stuff and Keith Caputo? This is somehow how it might turn out. Abdullah play rocking songs in the vein of Entombeds classic "Wolverine Blues", with some melodic guitar solos, and lot�s of reverb on the guitars, therefore it doesn�t have anything of the brutal sound Entombed have on their records. The vocals, like I said before are somehow Keith Caputo like. Hymnic singing that doesn�t really accompany the music to well. Maybe my listening habits are not the best for this release, but it actually sounds a little cheezy. Sorry! Enough Fanzine --------------------------------------- Bloodstained Skies Abdullah Graveyard Poetry (MeteorCity~2002) I�ve never delved too deeply into the so-called stoner/doom genre. When I have sampled the genre, I�ve often been left a little let down and sometimes even bored. Abdullah, an Ohio-based outfit, far surpassed my expectations with "Graveyard Poetry", which includes one of my favorite songs of the year in "Black Helicopters". I could easily see these guys making it fairly big in the mainstream, which isn�t to say that they�re another boy band in the making, but even the mainstream sometimes picks up on excellence of this magnitude. This album has a strong 70�s feel throughout, but there�s a good variety that keeps each song from sounding the same. Nice riffs and a solid rhythm section hold it all together (yes, you can even hear the bass), but the strengths of this album are the songs themselves and the excellent vocals of Jeff Shirilla. It�s encouraging to hear an album where the music composition, lyrics, vocals and musical performances fit together so well. "They, The Tyrants" closes the album with an unexpected change of pace as the song is more aggressive and features more extreme-sounding, distorted vocals. Other standout tracks are "A Dark But Shining Sun", "Guided By The Spirit" and "Behold A Pale Horse". Bloodstained Skies --------------------------------------- Encyclopaedia Metallum Written by Snxke on July 11th, 2003 Woooah....Volume 4 anyone?!? - 90% This well produced and well played blast-fest is an amazing doom/stoner record that cannot be overlooked! Thick guitar, aged but revitalized melodies and an Ozzy-with-balls whine on vocals make this some of the best Sab-inspired metal EVER... With brains and brawn (unlike most useless stoner-rock acts) this band brings an angry political/religious vibe that cuts to the heart of the matter. Death, misery and a silent cry for hope makes this record work...and I can't praise tracks like "Black Helicopters" and "strange benedictions" enough. The production and playing is top notch. This band will hopefully continue to bring new ideas and brilliance to doom and stoner metal. This record is classic in every sense of the word and needs to be hailed by more than just the few who've managed to snag it. Encyclopaedia Metallum --------------------------------------- Aquarius Records ABDULLAH Graveyard Poetry (Meteor City) Ohio stoner/doom/post-grunge metal band Abdullah return with their 2nd proper album, continuing (sort of, read on) their tradition of heavy Black Sabbathy guitars/riffs overlaid with melodic vocals, that kinda sound like those of Dax Riggs of Acid Bath/Agents of Oblivion/Deadboy and the Elephant Men. Songwise, Abdullah are a bit like a slightly doomier version of the late lamented Spirit Caravan (if you didn't hear, Spirit Caravan recently broke up -- but don't worry, Wino joined up with Victor Griffin in his band, Place of Skulls...dunno if that means Wino's a Christian now, but whatever...ok, back to the Abdullah review) but with some big twists this time out. Before we heard "Graveyard Poetry", we were a bit surprised to see that that Abdullah's European record label was comparing this release not only to doomsters like Trouble as we'd expect, but also to a bunch of obscure, traditional 80s metal acts, among them, local SF semi-legends Brocas Helm! Well, it's kinda true, at least on a few tracks anyway (like "Deprogrammed" and "They, The Tyrants"), wherein they leap from the moody, grungy doom style they established on their previous releases (and much of this one) into full-on rockin', quasi thrash metal territory. In this context, the vocals remind us a lot less of Dax Riggs and a lot more of the guy from Diamond Head!! I guess they've been listening to, if perhaps not Brocas Helm, at least some early Metallica and NWOBHM stuff!! Cool. A nice surprise. Although, while WE like the mixture, it might be a problem for some folks who will either dig the 60 percent doom content, or the 40 percent thrashin', but maybe not both. Aquarius Records --------------------------------------- Vibrations of Doom ABDULLAH "Graveyard Poetry" (Meteor City) SCORE: 98/100 WOW! I have to admit, the last full length from Abdullah I reviewed I made a little mistake. (See issue #26 for details). Actually, the "little mistake" cost them a perfect 100, which is what I should have given them. This time around, I made damn well sure I listened to the album a LOT, this thing got no less than 8 complete rotations, back to front. And what an amazing album this is! The darkened intro 'Rune' doesn't do a whole lot for me, but it's not really a points-taken-off kind of affair. Then 'Black Helicopters' kicks in and the dark and heavy vibe comes to life yet again. The vocal work here seems a tad different, like it's up front and in your face, while the ultra clean and heavy guitar work adds an otherworldly presence that no one can mistake for anyone else OTHER than Abdullah. By the time 'Deprogramed' rolls around, something has changed. The tune is a bit faster and somewhat punk oriented, listen to the "wel-come!" chants that sound like something out of a Misfits (the punk band) chorus line! Then to hear some rock riffs, and late 70's to early 80's NWOBHM?!? Check out 'Strange Benedictions' and 'Guided By The Spirit,' man I can tell that there's been some perusal of early Diamond Head, Vardis, Tygers Of Pan Tang and the like from WAAAY back! A decidely British heavy metal flavor permeates the disc, and it's amazing that a band like this can alter their sound and style and STILL sound like Abdullah. 'Behold A Pale Horse' shows Jeff doing some of his classic emotional and soaring vocal work, while 'Pantheistic' is probably their doomiest here and still played slow, with such amazing builds and emotional heaviness, shit this could have easily been on their debut album! And as if to taunt me from the interview I did with them about their earlier days, they do this crushing black metal type of instrumentation on the last track 'They, The Tyrants,' that you have to hear to believe! Okay, the few points: Well, for starters, I didn't care too much for 'A Dark But Shining Sun,' and I have to say that the CD isn't the first place I heard them perform this song. It's not a terrible song but it's a bit too straightforward for even their standards, but the ending is much better. 'Secret Teachings Of Lost Ages' didn't sit too well with me, it sounds like Jeff's vocal delivery is a bit too forceful and the music doesn't back him up as well. Minor points really, and you can tell I don't "do the math" on a review, hell just listen to the sound files and see if I'm not saying this is a crushing sophomore record. The third record will be, according to "those in the know," the one to judge them by, and I for one am too busy with this gem to worry about THAT. Vibrations of Doom --------------------------------------- Roadburn ABDULLAH - "GRAVEYARD POETRY" CD - MeteorCity by drew Abdullah just keeps getting better. Their latest combines classic metal and doom with a vaguely Acid Bath flavor to the vocals. Pure quality through and through, but for some reason I can never listen to the record in one sitting. Too similar? Perhaps, but that amounts to a petty quibble at most. The metal is definitely here. Roadburn