Abramis Brama is a band based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has been active for a decade now. “Live!” is their fourth release, and their first live album.

Musically Abramis Brama are solidly placed in the musical style of stoner rock. Or stoner metal, as some would call it. Black Sabbath is of course an obvious influence on their sound, but it is clear that they are familiar with other bands as well. It is easy to hear other influences to Abramis Bramas songs, most of them from bands having their career peaks in the 70’s.

The songs on this release is a bit so-and-so though. Listening to this album I get a very strong feel that Abramis Brama kicks some serious ass as a live band. They play loud, at times very heavy, and all songs are performed well here.
But a lot of the magic of a live show is next to impossible to transfer to a recording; the sheer heaviness of the soundscapes, the almost physical aspect of the music as it attacks the listeners straight out from the amplifiers, the intimacy and closeness you get when you see a band live.
And the live recordings here suffers from the lack of these aspects. The sound is a bit murky, and many of the songs sound very alike; probably more alike live than on record. A few songs have melodies, riffs and atmosphere enough to be standout tracks here (tracks 7-9), but the rest here sounds okayish; a few even a bit dull.

Fans of Abramis Brama will want to listen to this release of course, and anyone that has seen them live will get a lot out of this CD if they liked what they witnessed seeing this band in a live setting.

For others, I’d recommend checking out Abramis Bramas previous releases before this one.

My rating: 62/100