Abydos: The Little Boy's Heavy Mental Shadow Opera About the Inhabitants of His Diary

 

Abydos: ...the Inhabitants of His Diary

Many years ago, I ran across this album at a CD store in Omaha, Nebraska. As soon as I saw this album cover, I knew that I wanted to hear it. I picked the disc up and scanned the back of the inlay card. I remember being pleasantly surprised to learn that the album was on the Inside Out Music label, home to so many great CDs in my collection. This album was a no-brainer, it was coming home with me. I remember listening to it a lot over the years, but somewhere along the way I lost my copy. I don't know if it was a move, or it just got sold off in one of the big CD sales I was forced to do. Either way, it wasn't until last week that I was able to get another copy, and I'm so glad to have this one back in my collection.

Let by Vanden Plas frontman, Andy Kuntz, this is one hell of a heavy metal opera. The concept here is a bout a little boy who has visions of other people's live inside of his head, following the untimely death of his father. There are moments of Egyptian mythology, and reincarnation. The story is actually pretty interesting, and I wouldn't mind seeing it in novel form some day. Musically, listeners can expect a feel not totally unlike Andy's day-band, but also an almost Dream Theater feel at time. This album goes through a lot of feelings, and moods. It really is a special disc, that you have to hear to really appreciate. 

The album kicks off with a very brief, hard-rocking instrumental intro to the album, before segueing into the symphonic powerhouse of "You Broke the Sun", with a chorus that may have one of my favorite vocal melodies of all-time. It's such a beautiful vocal, that I can't help but sing along. Musically, it's a symphonic, hard-rocker, and sets up the album very nicely. Following that is the track "Silence", which is a bit heavier, but still retains a lot of the melodic beauty that seems to permeate this entire album. Vocally, there are some really neat effects, and emotive singing (not to mention another fantastic vocal melody), that go beautifully with the bass track. We're also treated to a very nice keyboard solo, which is always a selling point for me (being a keyboardist myself).

"Far Away From Heaven" is the first time we really slow down here, with some emotionally charged, and beautiful vocals, sang over a hauntingly pretty piano section. As the vocals, and piano pick up their intensity, you can already tell that this track will be special. The vocals are so strong and powerful, as they lead us into the full band portion of the track at about the two minute mark. This song is definitely a melodic-rocker, with a string section, some killer guitar work, and vocals that give me goosebumps to this day. This track definitely begs to be turned way up. I can't imagine how magical it would be in a live setting, with the entire cast and audience singing in unison. In fact, the entire album would be just phenomenal live.

After the slow down of "Far Away From Heaven", "Coppermoon (The Other Side)" goes right for the jugular. There are some heavy riffs, some masterful guitar solos, and some more of those fantastically melodic vocals that I just love. And to make the tune even better, some really killer bass guitar propel this hard-rocker forward. Add in some amazing keyboard work, and you have another song that is just top notch. The instrumental section is so damned catchy, you can't help but love it. "Hyperion Sunset" follows, and is another hard-rocker. Probably the heaviest song on the disc so far. Another riff heavy track, this one will get your head banging, with the crunchy riff, even if there is a piano complimenting it. It's a really well done track, that shows even more depth in this amazing project.

"God's Driftwood" opens with such an eerie segment of music, with a mood being developed by keys, and piano, with the vocals coming in, sounding as if they are getting ready to set up something pretty epic. When the acoustic guitars kick in, with the vocals slowly leading the entire band in, it's evident that this is going to be another killer track. There are "Kashmir" vibes here, as the guitar riff sets up the next verse. The vocals are sung beautiful, and melodic as usual, with the music being both heavy, and extremely catchy. By this point, if you aren't finding yourself enjoying this amazing album, then maybe it's just not for you. For my part, I have enjoyed every moment. I can't say enough about this phenomenal album!

Perhaps the most beautiful track on this album is track eight, "Radio Earth". This track chills out on the metal, and is a very nice melodic-rocker. The music still has some crunch to it, but it's less guitar driven, and more of a vibe created with all of the instruments, and makes this tune a very nice breather. The vocals are absolutely beautiful here, and the vocal melody is really something special. This is just such a nice song. The next track, "Abydos" starts out as another quieter track, and builds to a melodic beauty, with strings, some fantastic guitar riffs, and an amazingly delivered vocal track, with some great melodies. This tune almost feels a bit chaotic, as it builds towards its more than seven minute conclusion. This may be one of the best tracks on the disc. It has the very epic, progressive sound that I love in a good song.

"Green's Guidance For A Strategy Adventure Game" is a brief narrative track, that helps forward the story of this concept album. I'm not sure how much I like the effect on the narration, but the music underneath is pretty cool, if a little simple. This track moves into "Wildflowersky", and this track is yet another killer tune, with some heavy music, full of guitar riffs, and some amazing moments of keyboard playing. The vocals during the chorus are delivered over some really amazing bass guitar work, possibly some of the best bass parts on the albums. This tune is definitely a hard rocker, with a chorus that you almost wish would go on longer. There are some moments of clear Dream Theater influence here, as we approach the three and a half minute mark, where the song takes on a completely different feel. The vocals feels as if they're being delivered to a captive audience, before kicking in to one hell of a great guitar solo. This song is one of the standout tracks on the album, if nothing else, then for it's uniqueness to the album. There seems to be a bit more experimentation on this one. It's a great track!

And that brings us to the longest song on the disc, "A Boy Named Fly", which is also the closing song on the album. I almost hate to see it end, but it least it goes out with a bang. The track starts innocently enough, with some piano, orchestration, and even some horns. At just over twelve minutes long, the song quickly shifts at a minute in, with some really powerful vocals, singing over some keyboards, and low bass. When the sound shifts again, and the whole band come in, the song changes from a melodic beauty, to another hard rocking tune, with plenty of crunchy guitars, and pounding drums. That's not to say there isn't some melodic beauty here still. The vocals, and music during the chorus is just goosebump inducing. This song is the perfect way to close out a nearly perfect album. On an album chock full of great vocals, it is here that they shine so damned brightly, as the album is taken out in such grand-standing fashion. 

As far as I can tell, this will be the first, last, and only Abydos album. It was created during a time of terrible loss, and pain for Andy Kuntz, and must have been one hell of a way to handle with the grief of loss. I hope I'm wrong, and there will be another album from this side-project, because this may be one of the greatest albums ever written, at least in my opinion. If you are a fan of progressive rock, melodic rock, hard rock, or any type of rock music frankly, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.