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I liked Lyzzärd's debut (2017's Savage) and I've been waiting for their follow-up, which was released in December 2022. I thought Savage showed promise but, The Abyss, the band's second full-length, is a step back. They still play old school traditional metal with a nice guitar tone, but the songwriting is uninspired this time around. The vocals are another weak spot with the singer, who probably isn't all that bad, not doing a great job of controlling his voice and letting it drift and warble which is mighty distracting. Maybe he's going for a unique sound, but it isn't one I'd recommend pursuing. It's this questionable singing that is the only thing making cuts like "The Abyss" and "Jailbreaker" memorable and for the wrong reasons. Some of the riffing is solid but others, like on "Resistance," are clunky and forced. I don't hate The Abyss, but it sounds disjointed and slapped together and I was really hoping for something better after Savage. Disappointing.