Abrahma - 'Through The Dusty Paths Of Our Lives' (Album Review)

By: Aaron Pickford

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/07/2012

Label: Small Stone Records

Potent, majestic and choc full of hooks, this Parisian quartet have produced a master class of hypnotic, trippy groove based jams, which dazzles with cosmic spaced out hallucinogenic songs, packed to the rafters with ambience, soul and transcending everything you might have heard before.

‘Through The Dusty Paths of Our Lives’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.  Alpha                                                 

2.  Neptune Of Sorrow                                  

3.  Tears Of The Sun                                     

4.  Dandelion Dust                                        

5.  Honkin’ Water Roof                                 

6.  Loa’s Awakening (Prelude)                   

7.  Vodun Pt. 1 Samedi’s Awakening          

8.  Big Black Cloud                                     

9.  Headless Horse                                         

10.  Vodun Pt. 2: I, Zombie                           

11.  Oceans On Sand…                                 

12.  …Here Sleep Ghosts                              

13.  Vodun Pt. 3: Final Asagwe                    

14.  The Maze                                               

15.  Omega                                                     

Abrahma is:

Sebastien Bismuth | Vocals, guitar,

Nicolas Heller | Guitar

Guillaume Colin | Bass

Benjamin Colin | Drums

The Review:

So Small Stone Records have come up trumps again, seemingly plucking a band from obscurity and Abrahma repaying that faith in spades, delivering a startlingly brilliant record.  This record has it all and is as close to perfection as you can get.  ‘Through The Dusty Paths Of Our Lives’ isn’t so much an album but a monolithic journey of stoner rock ecstasy, inducing mind bending psychedelic delirium, due to the presence of ultra heavy riffs, proto-metal influences, acid tinged rock and a hint of alternative grunge.  Yet despite the inspiration of the stoner rock progeny being present on the album, it remains fresh and vibrant; it is a thunderous tour de force.

Potent, majestic and choc full of hooks, this Parisian quartet have produced a master class of hypnotic, trippy groove based jams, which dazzles with cosmic spaced out hallucinogenic songs, packed to the rafters with ambience, soul and transcending everything you might have heard before.  The first three tracks “Neptune of Sorrow,” “Tears of the Sun,” and “Dandelion Dust” are just breath taking.  Encapsulating dense bass grooves, with multifarious reverberation and texture, the grungy vocals add charisma and personality to the tracks, with layers of epic riffs and unyielding rhythmic drums.

This album continues with awe-inspiring vigour throughout the course of its 15 songs, ‘Headless Horse’ with its Jeff Buckley tinged psychedelic arpeggio and tripped out vocals, circle and envelop the far reaches of your psyche.   The titanic and labyrinthine track, ‘The Maze’ to the ‘Vodun’ trilogy, the entire record is a blistering exhibition of stoner rock brilliance.  Forget Alcohsonic and all hail the new flesh, because Abrahma’s debut is a psychedelic, grunge infused masterpiece.  Well done guys.

Band info: Bandcamp | Facebook | Offical Page