Slow – Abîmes I (Review)

Slow are a funeral doom band from Belgium and this is their seventh album.

Both 2017’s V – Oceans and 2019’s VI – Dantalion were colossal records of immersive atmospheric doom immensity. The latter made it onto my end of year list for 2019 too. With that in mind, and with expectations running high, we turn to the 44 minutes that Abîmes I has in store for us.

Yes, 44 minutes, you read that right. Abîmes I is by far Slow’s shortest album. However, what it may lack in quantity, (relatively speaking), it certainly makes up for in quality. To be honest though, the duration works well for the album, and leaves you wanting more, rather than suffering from a band outstaying their welcome. Although, if you’re a fan of this sort of sloooooooooooooooooow doooooooooooooooooom, it’s hard to imagine that accusation being levelled against Slow at all.

This is a richly atmospheric album of quality funeral doom. Absorbing, and imbued with a tangible darkness that’s equally reminiscent of lightless depths as it is the far reaches of the cosmos, Abîmes I takes the listener on a journey that’s not embarked upon lightly. It’s easy to get lost in the music’s bottomless ravines, or hypnotised by its glacially slow movements.

Beautifully harsh and crushingly delicate, this is a sonic rendition of emotion writ large. Every second of this record drips with raw feeling. It’s instantly captivating, yet requires many visits to its vast shores to truly unlock its secrets.

Abîmes I is not for those uninitiated in the realms of funeral doom. It is, however, a choice album for connoisseurs of the style to eagerly seek out. There are many rewards here for those that would find them.