To suggest that DYSYLUMN are shortchanging their still-swirling creativity by attacking more directly would be grossly missing the point. Gutted bass-throb and etheric guitar characteristically form the foundation, but here does the former sound more pensive and contemplative while the latter suitably slashes & surges with an unmatched amount of emotion. It's a reinvigoration of black metal classicism on one hand and a defiant flipping of the script on the other, bypassing "progressive" and "post" tags not out of churlish disdain but rather as already-established signposts of no use to DYSYLUMN. Stargazing, wistful, and yet so full of vim and vigor, "Abstraction" hits emotional centers, HARD, without obfuscating their core creativity. From nascent flames to the final breaths of a flickering light.

The album has one long song, the title track, and it's divided into five parts. "Abstraction I" is the first movement. It roars out of the gates with a storm of dark fury so black, it threatens to blot out the sun. The vocals are guttural utterances, and screams at times, but the music in the background is both dynamic and shifting. Post and Progressive elements? You bet, and they combine everything into a thick stew of blood, bones, and rotting flesh. The guitars also push some harmonies in the swirling black abyss. "Abstraction II" is a continuation of sound, and rightly so. The balance that the band is able to maintain between the deep sounds of the pit of Hell and sounds from outer space is remarkable. It's like someone walking the precipice of sure death, but not taking a step over, because the view beyond is stunning.

"Abstraction III" takes a deeper dive into the Mariana Trench. Melodies are held suspended in the air, consumed by darkness and tortured vocal screams, but they still shine dimly. The screams are so filled with emotion, each note is like another dagger shoved in your back. "Abstraction IV" has another jarring combination of fierce, dark Black Metal elements with some melody that doesn't quite fit. The stark contrast creates dissonance in your ears. The screams are blood-curling, and they point to a deep depression…the kind of which doesn't allow any light into the room. "Abstraction V" is last. It hints at some warmer tones in the beginning, but the filthy guttural vocals remind you that there is no happy ending. The chaos finally lessens at the halfway mark, but you are already bloody and bruised. It's a depressing crawl to the coffin from there.

This album sounds like a collision between infernal fire and the void of deep space, where the raw, scorched essence of Black Metal meets the cold, infinite reach of the cosmos. It's a paradox made audible: visions of Hell twisted into sound, but refracted through the lens of starlight and vacuum. It's Black Metal that transcends its own boundaries, part ritual, part exploration, as if Hell itself has been launched into orbit. The result is both majestic and terrifying, a soundtrack to oblivion where the line between celestial beauty and absolute ruin no longer exists.