Abigail Williams was founded in 2004 by guitarist Ken Bergeron, who later became the vocalist and would eventually adopt the moniker Ken Sorceron. Bergeron was previously the bassist of the Arizonan
industrial rock band
Victims in Ecstacy, and also participated in various hardcore and metal acts around
Phoenix. Abigail Williams' first songs were six demo tracks that were streamed on the band's
Myspace profile with a sound described by the band as having "the groove and melody of
Gothenburg style death metal, the face smashing breakdowns of the hardcore scene, topped with the bombastic and epic approach favored by the frostbitten black metal hordes". These demo songs were later packaged by a fan into a
"demo" release bootleg with the title
Gallow Hill along with unique accompanying artwork, the bootleg appeared online in 2005. Three of these demo tracks would be re-recorded for the
Legend EP, including "Melquiades (The Great Work)", which was re-titled "The Conqueror Wyrm" and "Swollen Disgust", which was released as "Like Carrion Birds". After touring extensively, including a United Kingdom tour in 2006, the band had their debut release through
Candlelight Records, which was the
Legend EP in 2006, which mixed metalcore influences with symphonic black metal, and was described by
Allmusic as "a perfect example of an American recording with a very Nordic-influenced sound". According to vocalist/guitarist Ken Sorceron, the EP was only released so that the band would have something to promote, explaining "a lot of the songs are, like, older songs, and they felt a bit old. At the time we were trying to make an album and we just couldn't finish it on time for some tours". Much of its inspiration came from the melodic metal scene found in the
Nordic countries. Because bands from these countries were immersed in the mythology of their respective countries, Abigail Williams looked into American history.
Arthur Miller's
The Crucible brought
Abigail Williams, one of the original and foremost accusers in the
Salem witch trials of 1692, to their attention. The influence of European metal, particularly Scandinavian, is again evident. The album took more than six months to record, and black metal drummer
Trym Torson of
Emperor and
Enslaved played drums on all tracks on the album except "Floods", "Acolytes", and "Empyrean". Most of the songs were written by Sorceron while the band was on hiatus in 2007. Abigail Williams released their second full-length album, called
In the Absence of Light, via Candlelight Records on September 28, 2010. The album shows a considerable difference from the rest of the band's discography, noting its pure
black metal sound instead of symphonic black metal. The band began work on a new album in the summer of 2011, titled
Becoming, which was released on January 24, 2012, through Candlelight Records. It was the band's third full-length album through the label. Frontman, Sorceron handled all production aspects of the album. Before its release, the song "Ascension Sickness" leaked early on November 10, 2011, onto
YouTube. On July 2, 2012, Abigail Williams announced that this year's US tour would be the last ever and that they are disbanding. Since this, however, they have stated that they plan on recording another studio album along with further tour dates. On August 25, 2015, Abigail Williams announced their forthcoming album titled The Accuser via their Facebook page. The Accuser features eight tracks and was released on Oct 30, 2015. On March 19, 2018, Sorceron announced his departure from the technical death metal band
The Faceless on his Facebook page, and would be putting his focus on finishing the next Abigail Williams album. The same day, The Faceless drummer Bryce Butler also announced his departure, and his new role as live drummer for Abigail Williams. On November 14, 2019, Abigail Williams released their fifth studio album titled
Walk Beyond the Dark featuring seven songs. ==Band members==