ABBYGAIL: Escape From Reality (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Four years after “Still Burning...,” which confirmed their status as guardians of French hard rock, the members of Abbygail are back with “Escape From Reality,” a title and cover art that raise questions. Is the current world not suitable for our northerners who want to escape it? Or could this new album be the best way to momentarily escape from a reality that is currently weighing heavily on us?

With an unchanged lineup, which is normal for a band made up of a real group of friends, the quintet once again takes us back to the roots of the genre in the 1970s. But where the shadow of AC/DC loomed large in 2021, that of U.F.O. seems to have taken over. Not that Luke Debruyne and Pascal Roszyk's gang has turned into a mere clone of the legendary British band, but in the sense that the combo delivers riffs and harmonies that Pete Way and his band would not have disowned. In fact, how can you not think of the latter on the dynamic “The Day Everything Changed” with its heavy bass line? Nevertheless, the quintet had the good idea to vary the pleasures, venturing into very southern territory on “Long Black Coat Chapter II” with its catchy chorus and the smell of leather duster coats.

On “Clockwork Orange Society” and “The Prince Of Darkness,” Black Sabbath comes to mind with these dark and heavy tracks. The first features a drum gimmick reminiscent of the ticking of a clock counting down the passing of time. As for the second, its discreet keyboard layers contribute to making it both captivating and disturbing, hinting at the diabolical face of Ozzy Osbourne, to whom it seems to be dedicated. Here again, the work of the Debruyne/Poulain duo is simply dazzling and reminiscent of the best moments of a certain Tony Iommi. Although a tad too smooth, the production has the good sense to highlight our guitarist friends at the expense of Bertrand Roussel's vocals, who, while still a good singer, is nonetheless a notch below his fellow instrumentalists.

A new tribute to the legends of the genre, “Escape From Reality” confirms Abbygail's place among the stalwarts of French hard rock. A little too linear, this opus is nonetheless a fine demonstration of the band members' compositional and instrumental skills. The band still has some work to do on the vocals, which could benefit from more depth and nuance. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the bands that forged the myth of this musical style, you can dive into these eleven finely crafted tracks without fear. - Official website

ABBYGAIL

ESCAPE FROM REALITY

ELLIE PROMOTION

HARD ROCK