Michael Abdow is an American modern electric guitarist. Emerging from the Northeastern U.S. club scene, he is known for his soulful character, technical ability, and in-depth compositional style. “Séance In Black” is Michael's forthcoming fifth full-length solo album. To be enjoyed for its music and experienced for its intent, “Séance In Black” presents Michael's songwriting in a heavily orchestrated progressive rock context led by the voice of guitar. The album has seven songs.

“From the Silence” is first. Following some opening clean guitar tones, a rousing and energetic guitar follows, together with some keyboards. At times, the sound is fairly straightforward, but there are also some more mysterious tones mixed in here and there. “Oracle” is heavy on the bass guitar, while the lead tones are both melodic and catchy, and Michael shows some of his Progressive leanings as well as his talent on the axe. “Eternity” has a nice mix of guitars and keyboards and is a bit more on the introspective side. Some of the overall atmosphere takes a while to develop, and I appreciate the time spent. “Welcome Desolation” has an air of mystery in its mostly clean guitars, along with some tension in the music. This song also develops slowly, and it’s a part of the journey.

“The Turning” is a heavier offering, with some funky bass lines and psychedelic keyboards to go along with the heavy wah-wah effect in the guitar, and it might be the most concise of all the songs on the album. The title track is a beastly 10 minutes in length and has a lot of energy from the opening notes. As you might expect, the song has several different parts within it, but I recommend listening to it as a singular whole, because that is where you will get the most connection out of the music. “Evidence of Angels” closes the album, and it’s a sweet little song again with some elements of mystery. Guitar-led music can be very personal, both from a compositional standpoint as well as a listening experience. It also has to be done very carefully, because there are no vocals, so the guitar takes its place. What I hear mostly on the album is veiled secrecy, a as a listener, you have to work a little harder to find its treasures.