Olympia, Washington’s Abigail Williams have been kicking around the heavy-music underground for 15 years, making stellar black-metal-inflected music throughout that time. Tomorrow (November 15th), the band — led by songwriter, vocalist and mastermind Ken Soceron — are set to release their fifth LP, Walk Beyond the Dark (you can order a copy here), just one day after the kickoff of the group’s North American tour with Ensiferum, Kalmah and Aenimus. Ahead of the release date, Abigail Williams are streaming the album in its entirety — check it out below.
“Musically, it’s like the ending of one journey and the start of the next,” Soceron commented of Walk Beyond the Dark. “I feel like I was able to take the entire history of the band, all the different sounds and styles we’ve experimented with over the years, combine it all into this grand mixture with new twists and turns, and take it to the next level. Even with it serving as a monument of sorts to everything the band has done before, it’s not about the past, though.
“It’s about closing a chapter and looking forward to what comes next, pushing onward and seeing where we go from here. Anyone who follows the band knows I’ve always done what’s been in my heart, I’m always exploring new things and writing with what’s in my head at that time rather than feeling beholden to anything that came before, and this serves as a stepping stone to leap into the unknown.”
Abigail Williams tour dates with Ensiferum, Kalmah and Aenimus:
11/14 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
11/15 – Reading, PA – Reverb
11/16 – Ottawa, ON – Maverick’s
11/17 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theater
11/18 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
11/19 – Chicago, IL – Reggies
11/20 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
11/21 – Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
11/23 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
11/24 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
11/25 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
11/26 – Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom
11/27 – Oakland, CA – Metro Opera House
11/29 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
11/30 – San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
12/1 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red
12/2 – El Paso, TX – Rockhouse Bar & Grill
12/3 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
12/5 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall
12/7 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
12/8 – Brooklyn, NY – The Warsaw