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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds


9.0

based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 33 votes
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MUSIC:

Grinderman: Grinderman

Official Artist Site

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' 13th album actually spans two separate discs, each produced by Nick Launay. And speaking of the Bad Seeds, longtime member Blixa Bargeld has been replaced by James Johnston (Gallon Drunk).

LABEL:	Anti
RELEASE DATE:	26 October 2004
DISCS:	2 discs
GENRE(S):	Indie, Rock

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

The Guardian

An entirely unique return to form.

100

E! Online

He gets all beautiful on your ass for the Orpheus portion of this double-disc set, then explodes with a pounding intensity on Abattoir Blues that'll knock your socks off.

100

Tiny Mix Tapes

As a word of warning, though, this brilliant, but lengthy double album may not be the best beginner's guide to Nick Cave. However, for anyone who is a fan of the duration of his career, this album rewards the listener with a bit of the best of everything he has to offer.

100

Mojo

The scope and breadth is startling. [Oct 2004, p.94]

100

Alternative Press

Two masterpieces. [Dec 2004, p.158]

Entertainment Weekly

Cave... remains a singular sensation. [29 Oct 2004, p.69]

Drowned In Sound

While the first offering holds a quite tangible anger and general gloom within, 'The Lyre of Orpheus is a much more mellow affair, contemplating existentialism and the like.

Dot Music

A fragrant bouquet of melody, light, love and naughtiness wrapped in an unfamiliar joie de vivre.

PopMatters

So fresh, so revelatory, so alive.

Playlouder

'Abattoir Blues' is weirdly full of wonderment, and - get this - 'The Lyre of Orpheus' is even more joyful! And they both kick Nocturama's arse full of buttonholes.

New Musical Express

This is murderously good stuff. [25 Sep 2004, p.64]

All Music Guide

An aesthetic watermark for Cave, a true high point in a long career that is ever looking forward.

Dusted Magazine

The Bad Seeds have not made a record this ambitious, well, ever, and the results are rewarding, thoughtful and challenging.

Stylus Magazine

It’s easy to get over-eager about a decent album that appears after some significantly less magnificent efforts, and perhaps that’s precisely what I’ve just done. But I don’t especially care. What I hear throughout this release, and what I’m latching so strongly onto, is my own imagined version of what a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record should be like.

Filter

This is not Cave's best work by any means, but these songs do showcase his impressive range as a lyricist, performer and musician. [#12, p.100]

Blender

The kind of boiling, roiling blues the Bad Seeds haven't cooked up in years. [Nov 2004, p.131]

Junkmedia

Cave's songwriting chops and incisive lyrics have, if anything, grown stronger.

cokemachineglow

And with so much music, some cuts solidly fail, and some stand up to the best in the Bad Seeds canon.

Almost Cool

In truth, a couple tracks could have been cut to turn this into an epic single-disc release of huge proportions, but it's still the best work that Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds have done since Murder Ballads.

Paste Magazine

Aside from the power of the music and lyrics, the set draws on Cave’s compelling persona: part priest, part sideshow barker--crooning one moment and eviscerating the next. While this has always been the core of his talent, on Abattoir/Lyre it is particularly rich and rewarding.

Splendid

Abattoir/Orpheus is not as immediate as some of Cave's previous triumphs, but you'll take pleasure in unearthing new sentiments and innuendo within its walls.

Q Magazine

Both [discs] are full of surprises. [Oct 2004, p.115]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

There's hardly any drop in quality over the discs' 17 tracks, and Cave maintains his ability to startle.

ShakingThrough.net

Unsurprisingly, Cave's overriding thematic goal of reconciling morality with desire on Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus falls short of its mark. But with such a complex and difficult target, that's to be expected.

Trouser Press

Cave has hinted at a more mature sound on the last few records; here, it comes across in richer, bolder arrangements, the result of his band's more active role in developing the songs.

Pitchfork

It would be foolish, however, to think that you could get through a Nick Cave project this ambitious without a few clunkers. At least here Cave's missteps occur when his reach exceeds his grasp, and the songs that fail manage to do so dramatically rather than boringly. [average of scores of 78 for 'Abattoir' and 74 for 'Orpheus']

Spin

The Lyre Of Orpheus is effectively Abattoir spillover: more mellow, less grand in conception, but--somehow--more pretentious in execution. [Dec 2004, p.118]

Rolling Stone

The Orpheus disc is quieter, and Blues is slightly more lewd, but taken together this may be the scariest album about panties, gorillas and bloody gods ever recorded.

Austin Chronicle

Ambitious and uneven.

Under The Radar

Feels much like a natural extension of 2001's No More Shall We Part and the emotional urgency found there. [#7; average of scores of 60 for 'Abattoir' and 70 for 'Orpheus']

The Wire

In many ways this is his finest outing since The Boatman's Call. [#247, p.55]

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 33 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

mads l gave it a7:
abbatoir blues is a partial return to form for cave after a series of dreadfully bland albums. It's just a shame that the antiseptic production threatens to kill the otherwise inspirational songwriting. The Lyre of Orpheus is cave doing what he has done lately - therefore I don't like it, but it is a notch better than nocturama/no more shall we part - both albums which I strongly recommend music lovers should shy away from..!

Evan W gave it a1:
I've been a fan of Nick Cave for about eight years. I always loved his dark lyrics and instrumentation. After 2002, he seems to have completely lost all his old inspiration, and continues making albums only because he's a musician, not because he has something to say. This record did not need to be made. Insipid lyrics, over-produced pap.

Ezra gave it a9:
In my opinion, and several come close, this as a double album, is his best work since The Good Son (probably one of the greatest albums in rock). It's on the level, I'd say, with his stuff with The Birthday Party, and, by extension, worth even the listening of non-fans. Warren Ellis adequately fills the place of Blixa Bargeld (I feel the loss too). His integration of gospel is pure awesome. Don't wait, buy it! 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World' is one of the best songs of ' the '00s.

Anthony D gave it a10:
Two stunningly beautiful and immediate albums. An emotional injection. If it weren't for Nick, Tom Waits and Frank Black I would move to Patagonia.

Hein gave it a10:
There are no better records than this one. Simple as that.

jules m gave it a10:
supernaturally awesome

Simon M gave it a9:
Awesome!

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds