Abramis Brama - Nothing Changes

*=Staff's pick	Abramis Brama Know You're Lying* Just Like Me* Anticlockwise Man All Is Black* Nothing Changes Promises* Never Leaving My Mind Parts Of My Mind ( still remains untouched )

Genre	Stoner Rock	Ulf Torkelsson	Vocals
Tracks	9	Per-Olof Andersson	Guitar
Runningtime	45 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Sweden Rock Records	Dennis Berg	Bass
Release	27 Nov. 2003	Fredrik Jansson	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Big Elf, Soundgarden

When Abramis Brama gives in to record an album in English after they been asked numerous times they choose to start the album with an instrumental track, makes perfect sense doesnt it? Nothing Changes is their third album and as mentioned their first in the English language, and as the title suggests this is merely to be seen as an exception, they will with their next release stay true to their native tongue. All tracks newly re-recorded for this album with new lyrics, five of the tracks is picked out of their full-length debut Dansa tokjävelns vals (1999) and four from their second album När tystnaden lagt sig…(2001).

You could describe their music as stoner rock, or something like Fu Manchu together with Kyuss meets Soundgarden all in the vein of and heavily influenced by early Black Sabbath with a quick stop by Deep Purple, we are talking heavy and groovy riff-oriented hard rock rooted in the seventies with an up to date sound.
After the introductory instrumental selftitled track Abramis Brama the track Know You're Lying kicks into business, and that is nothing but stoner rock at its finest. As it grinds on with a groove and melody it is impossible to not start nodding your head, if only all stoner could be this full of life.
Third track Just Like Me is somewhat of stoner meets grunge, could have suited on Badmotorfinger and when Ulf Torkelsson gives what he got in the refrain he even sounds like Chris Cornell. And even if the rest of the albums is rather good these two tracks are the most distinguishing and without a doubt the best songs on the album, it never gets as good as this later on, but damn these two are great.

It is much of heavy and powerful groovy rhythms Abramis Brama delivers, very much reminiscent of Black Sabbath with heavy Iommi riffing and Sabbath passages within the music, the way the percussion is used and sounds also helps to strengthen the comparisons.
At first the heavy Sabbath influences didn't bother me but the more I listens the more obvious they becomes and it is just a little too much, the opening riff in Parts Of My Mind are simply fantastic but they also reminds me of one the old Black Sabbath songs, I just cant put my finger on which one.

Nevertheless it is great music they squeezes out of their instruments, and when they put something that I believe is a key flute in action it is pretty cool, it oozes of the spaced-out seventies in the closing track Parts Of My Mind. Not to happy with the production though, even though it got a nice live-feeling to it, it also tends to feel a little low-budget, still within the frames of being cleared as good, but barely.
And all my comparisons with Black Sabbath might be a little unjust because Abramis Brama deserves their own recognition but I have big problems to let those go, I just cant get passed how much they reminds me of the good ol' Sabbath. And hey, Black Sabbath isn't really the worst band to be compared with, in this case it is a real compliment so take that as a feather in your hat Abramis Brama.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
5	7	8

Summary
7,5 chalices of 10 - Thomas