Abbey Death - REALIGNMENT

I'm going to skip introductions as none should be needed by now for either Abbey Nex or Valerie Abbey (Formerly Valerie Gentile) as I have covered them extensively in the past and you can read on them elsewhere on the site. But, I do bring you to their attention once more as the married couple has officially unveiled their first EP under Abbey Death titled "Realignment". 

It was just last night that the gothrockers played their EP release party, and while I wasn't there and do hope it went well, I have been listening to "Realignment" since yesterday when I got my hands on it. "Realignment" contains four songs that don't stylistically sound like either of the pair's solo projects, but sounds like a mesh of both with a pure raw edge to it. Imagine gothic rock sludged with a dose of experimental industrial and you will get a feeling for Abbey Death's sound. 

What I just described is immediately apparent on 'The Outside', the opening song on the EP. Get used to a lofi sort of sound as the grim guitar work will reflect dark, emotional ramparts of long forgotten days. However, the song seems to rotate between an Angel/Demon like complex. Whenever Valerie's voice sings out, the tune is rather upbeat and positive; when Nex's vocals come along, the song takes a slightly more ominous twist. I loved it. 

Gothrock goes backstage with the next song 'Subtract Your Mind', as electronics forward themselves to the frontlines in this industrial banger. Perhaps my favorite bits about the song were the equally fitting samples on the track. It ends off with a fast spoken line reading, "Forget what you heard on this recording." But I think that's nigh impossible. 

'Dirty Confessional' had a similar feel to it as 'Subtract Your Mind', but the final track 'Star Merica' had an extremely experimental bend to it thanks to smart and layered guitars and rhythmic drums. The final track really played with all other elements exposed to us so far in a damned good fashion. 

Now, this will not be a release everyone will be able to get to at all. For fans of Valerie's previous work as a solo artist, this might be too rough or odd for those people to really dive into, and for fans of Nex's prior solo work, this might be too easy going. However, there will be those who will find this mid-level mesh appealing, and I find myself to be one of those people. 

I do believe there is room for improvement on this EP but exactly where is unknown to myself. I just know the degree of entertainment these talented musicians can come to, so I think that this EP is just a starting stage for them that will blossom as time goes on. Nevertheless, "Realignment" is a unique look at the industrial/gothrock complex that has emerged in the new age, and I haven't heard anything like it before. 
Jan 30 2016