Abigail Williams

Abigail Williams emerged in 2005 as an American ensemble devoted to symphonic black metal and took its name from the notorious young accuser who helped incite the Salem Witch Trials. The Phoenix, Arizona outfit soon encountered repeated personnel upheavals that mirrored the theme of betrayal, with more than a dozen players rotating through the ranks while vocalist and guitarist Ken Sorceron remained the sole constant. After completing the metalcore-tinged 2006 EP Legend the band dissolved for a period, only to reform in 2007, shift its base to New York, and secure a deal with Candlelight Records that yielded the 2008 debut full-length In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns, an album that steered the group firmly toward black metal.

The sophomore release In the Absence of Light appeared in 2010 with Sorceron joined by guitarist Ian Jekelis and drummer Ken Bedene. Most of that configuration carried over to 2012’s Becoming, an album that redirected the sound toward dark, atmospheric, post-psychedelic black metal. The band toured in support and received stronger critical notice than on prior efforts.

Sorceron, already a veteran of Lord Mantis, grew restless and brought in former drummer Charlie Fell, bassist Will Lindsay (also of Indian), and ex-Wolvhammer guitarist Jeff Wilson late in 2014. Following rehearsals and collaborative songwriting, Sorceron led this lineup into the band’s home studio in Olympia, Washington, where The Accuser was tracked in five days. Candlelight issued the more sharply focused black metal album in fall 2015.