Abandon All Hope

I admit to enjoy listening to Concept albums because they take me on a fantastic journey to whichever place I wanna believe in, Fantastical or real; but "Abandon All Hope" isn't like the rest of them Since I also love 🎸 Goddesses, I was fortunate to have discovered Gretchen Menn a few years ago while playing with my IPad 📱& what I got was 1 of the most wonderful original musicians I've ever heard or seen This 👏 follow-up to her acclaimed first album "Hale Souls" is a welcome change from the usual 🎸 driven instrumental album because, being that it's loosely based on Dante's "Inferno", she knew that the 🎶 had to match each 1 of the story's chapters & when you 👂 to the entire album you're sure to remember why she was right in merging Classical & Rock/Metal Perfectly, and the message at the end is exactly the opposite of what the title insists: If you still believe that hope wins, you have absolutely nothing to be 😱 of; not even death 💀 BRAVO 👏!!!

Gretchen Menn is a very talented and dedicated musician who consistantly creates qualitity music. Abandon All Hope is her latest creation that takes the listener on a musical journey through the literary work of Dante's Inferno. I personally enjoyed every track of this musical journey and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a musician who presses their talents into totally new territory. Grechen learned clasical guitar in college, though she is renowned for playing the lead guitar in Zepparella, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. Her background is reflected in the guitar composition and she successfully synthesizes guitar composition with her compositon for a variety of other instruments in this work. Gretchen Menn is an artisanal musician who appreciates her dedicated fan base.

How do you describe a concept album inspired by Dante's Inferno... with great difficulty. Some words that help would be; Sophisticated, Complex, Dynamic, but what's most incredible are the contrasts. You have the driving guitar tracks, 'Hounds of Hades' and 'Beast' and chamber-like pieces, 'Grace' and 'Lake of Ice'. Add in the thundering drums of 'Sentry' and the delicate,angelic nature of 'Mist' and you have everything an eclectic music lover needs. I'm going to steal from a legend to give you the short version. 'Light and Shade', Whisper to the Thunder'. That is Gretchen Menn's 'Abandon All Hope'. Thanks to Jimmy Page for those words which neatly describes an amazing piece of work.

Abandon All Hope is a very interesting album; It's not everyday that you hear an album of rock music mixed with classical strings; then throw in the subject matter - Dante's Inferno - and you have the makings for something very different. I first listened to this CD on my computer and was amused when iTunes described it as Easy Listening. Actually, it's anything but easy listening. It's very complicated music and is most certainly not for the avergae listener of pop, rap, hip hop, country or heavy metal. It would require more than their tastes are likely capable of processing for them to make it through this entire album. Telling a story through music is not uncommon; but doing so through instrumental music - especially in the 21st Century - is uncommon. Doing it well is particularly rare. Overall, this album works. Gretchen has done a fabulous job of writing music to fit the various parts of the Inferno story. If you are unfamiliar with Inferno, it would be helpful to find a copy of the Cliff's Notes so you can at least understand what's happening in the story during each musical piece. I'm not going to review each track individually, but I do have some coments on a few of them. The opener, Shadows, is Jimmy Page-esque in several ways. This is not surprising nor unwelcome. I discovered Gretchen through Zepparella and Page has obviously influenced her in many ways. In Shadows she layers the music much like Page did on some of Zeppelin's more complicated tracks. The main riff of the song could've been written by Page circa 73-75 and it rocks, which fits the theme of this part of Inferno. In a smaller nod to Page, Gretchen does a fine job of string bending on parts of this song. One of my favorites and a most fitting opener. Hellward Swoon is a very short piece and I immediately thought of Django Rheinhardt when I heard Gretchen picking so beautifully on this one. A very pretty piece. It's not purely rock, it's not purely classical and it certainly is much better than easy listening. Hounds of Hades features more Page-like riffing and phrasing and is another of my favorites. Yes, my tastes run more to hard rock than clssical, but I enjoy both. Please understand that a comparison to Jimmy Page, in my book, is the ultimate guitar compliment, not a knock for unoriginality. This song moves just like this section of the book. Another song that fits the part of Inferno that it is telling is Tombs. It's frantic and frenetic and the violins are superb. I love much of what the violins do on this album, but this is my favorite in terms of the violin playing. Sentry is the reason I only gave this album 4 stars. It's basically a two minute drum solo. And a boring one at that. I understand what it's supposed to do in terms of telling the story, but I would've skipped this altogether. It adds nothing to the musical storytelling while slowing down the listening to the album; but it' the perfect time to hit the bathroom, get another glass of wine/coffee/water or answer that text that came in. Musically, it serves no purpose. Rise is a beautiful piece of classically styled music. It's uplifitng in a way and it provides a glimmer of hope as it relates to Inferno. The playing and tha arrangement are my favorites of the classical pieces. It truly is a beautiful song. Savages is fast paced and very accurate to the tension it represents in the story. I believe Gretchen is at her best when she's blistering the neck of her guitar and this song delivers. One of my three favorites on the album. Lake of Ice features some of the most delicate and beautiful guitar playing on the entire album. Again, the music matches the part of the story it's portraying and that's the real genius of this song and the entire album, really. Beast is the second to last song and the heavy intro fittingly remains present throughout the song. It is the heaviest track on the album. I know I'm getting repititious, but this song is brilliant in telling this part of the story. It represents the terrifying conclusion, the last stressful climax, the escape. And it captures all of the elements in this part of Inferno. The final song, Grace, ironically, counters the album title and seems to offer plenty of hope. It correlates to Dante's departure from Hell and his joyous return to his world. It lasts over 8 minutes, but it concludes the album with a much lighter tone and seems to say that all hope should not be abandoned. Ever. This album is not for everyone. And to understand the music on this album, it helps to be familiar with the story, Inferno. But to even attempt somehting like this album takes great courage, a lot of talent and a strong confidence in the music you've written. I think Gretchen has all of these things. More importantly, Gretchen Menn makes it work. She is a very talented writer and musician and Abandon All Hope is the crowning achievement of her talent, thus far. But I suspect that there is much more to come and, for that, I'm not abandoing any hope.

This album shows the depth of Gretchen's talents. Showing her playing, production and writing skills with styles ranging from hard rock to beautiful classical movements. From Shadows to Beast with Grace this album has a sonic vision that is rare and brilliant. A must have.

A lot of time and thought was put into this album. Its meant to be played at one listen. A great flow through the musical journey full of tasty textures by voice, strings, loud guitars, nylon guitars(to name a few). The compositions and arrangements are not only smart, but evoke emotion. Thats hard to do! But it here on iTunes to hear it now, but I strongly recommend that you get a copy of the physical CD as well. The artwork is stunning. A lot of work went into the presentation. Its a wonderful snapshot of where Gretchen is in her life, and artistry right now. Not a bad thing to own at all!

Amazing album, masterfully created . Gretchen has taken her love of composition to the Stratosphere on this album. Using Dante's Inferno as a theme, the music will take you through every human emotion on the quest, and battle to find true love. From intricate orchestration, searing violin, classical guitar, and gut wrenching slide guitar, it has all the elements of savoring a fine Italian wine. This work is eternal, and to be enjoyed for many years to come .....

Brilliant album, truly instrumental music at its finest, with a touch of beautiful vocalizations on the occasional track. The compositions share both complexity and elegance. Extremely enjoyable and engaging listening, with superb musicianship. A magnificent and unique concept album inspired by the epic literary work, "The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. The music is equally excellent within the context of the influence material as well as standalone.

An hour of musical storytelling based on Dante's Inferno, there are flashes of brilliance in both the writing and the playing but nothing ever overshadows the story. Some people will have favorite tracks, but listening to the whole thing and following along with the booklet is a great way to experience this classic tale

I absolutely loved this album . Gretchen is an amazing player , I've seen her live several times with Zepparella and this is an amazing new album that to me is beyond putting a label on . It is an instrumental (vocals oa a few tracks) concept album adout Dante's Inferno . How cool is that ? It is mostly instrumental , but this is not a "shred" cd . This is a work of art . I very highly recommend it .