The last we heard from Advocates was with the release of “Detatchment” last year. Now in the final moments of 2019, the Melbourne band have brought some new music but are also sharing a line-up change: New single “Abaddon” is the last Advocates release which will have Detlyn Raven on vocals for the band. While there’s no official word on a replacement at this stage, the band will definitely be continuing into the future with a new vocalist at the helm.
New single “Abbadon” is named after the Hebrew word that’s interpreted either as ‘angel of death’ or ‘realm of the dead’. Advocates use the latter meaning with their new single, and follow a protagonist on a dark journey. This sees them eventually being banished to Abaddon.
Fittingly dark and eerie from its beginning, “Abaddon” combines strings and tense percussion, giving a vibe of a stalemate. With the vocals joining in, the atmosphere is heavy with frustration and yearning, while the lyrics seem to capture worthless efforts spent. Gaining urgency, “Abaddon” seems to reflect how the protagonist is being taken over by something dark.
Relatively steady at times, with just waves of technical guitar, “Abaddon” forms one long thread that isn’t broken up by any kind of sunny chorus. The opposite is the case, where climbing darkness slithers at times and stomps at others. Layers of screams and intricate instrumentation combine to form something full-bodied and unsettling. The song’s finale is one last punch, sliding into turmoil and tension.
While it’s a strong song that definitely piqued my interest, I feel like the (really interesting!) concept of being controlled and forcefully banished could have been embraced more obviously and palpably. There were many moments that came across as just feelgood grooves, with the darkness seeming to be more on the outskirts than up front, in your face, or breathing down your neck.
See what you think by checking out the Colin Jeffs music video via YouTube below. Melbourne locals can also see the band in action at Stay Gold on 21st December, where the single will be launched along with LUNE launching “Ghost”. This will be Detlyn’s last show with the band.
