Abigail Williams (band)
| Abigail Williams | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Genres | Black metal, symphonic black metal, metalcore (early) |
| Years active | 2004–2007 2007–present |
| Labels | Candlelight |
| Members | Ken Bergeron Ian Jekelis Jeff Wilson |
Abigail Williams is an American black metal band, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but now based in Olympia, Washington. Since their formation in 2004, the group has suffered near-constant changes to their line-up. The band even disbanded in 2007 for a short time before reforming and writing their debut full-length album. Shortly after an eight-week tour in support of their debut full-length album In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns (2008), vocalist Ken Sorceron would become the only original member remaining.
The group initially performed a symphonic black metal style, but with the release of the band's second full-length album In the Absence of Light (2010), Abigail Williams would switch to a purist black metal sound that was also carried out into their third full-length album titled Becoming (2012).
The band was formed in 2004 by guitarist Ken Bergeron, who later became the vocalist. Prior to forming Abigail Williams and taking on the name Sorceron, Bergeron was the guitarist of Victims In Ecstacy, followed by participation in various hardcore and metal acts in Arizona.
Abigail Williams' first songs were six demo tracks that were streamed online with a sound described by the band as having "the groove and melody of Gothenburg style death metal, the face smashing breakdowns of the hardcore scene, topped with the bombastic and epic approach favored by the frostbitten black metal hordes". These demo songs were later packaged by a fan into a bootleg named Gallow Hill. Three of these demo tracks would be re-recorded for the Legend EP, including "Melquiades (The Great Work)", which was re-titled "The Conqueror Wyrm" and "Swollen Disgust", which was released as "Like Carrion Birds".
After touring extensively, including a United Kingdom tour in 2006, the band had their debut release through Candlelight Records, which was the Legend EP in 2006, which mixed metalcore influences with symphonic black metal, and was described by Allmusic as "a perfect example of an American recording with a very Nordic-influenced sound". According to vocalist/guitarist Ken Sorceron, the EP was only released so that the band would have something to promote, explaining "a lot of the songs are, like, older songs, and they felt a bit old. At the time we were trying to make an album and we just couldn't finish it on time for some tours". After touring with Dark Funeral and Enslaved, the band split up in early 2007, although Sorceron later claimed that rather than a permanent split it was a pre-meditated hiatus. Sorceron and Wilson continued playing together in another band, and eventually asked the original Abigail Williams bassist Thomas G. Plaguehammer to join them on drums. They decided to resume Abigail Williams as a band, with Plaguehammer returning to bass, Zach Gibson and Bjorn Dannov rejoining, and also Kristen Randall (Winds of Plague) joining the band. After a tour in late 2007, their drummer and keyboard player left, with Ashley Ellylon rejoining on keyboards and Samus becoming the new permanent drummer.
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