The Absence is easily the most overlooked band on
the Metal Blade roster. Their debut, From Your Grave,
turned hordes of extreme metal ears towards them but
Riders Of the Plague makes the debut sound like a
demo. The Absence has evolved quickly, turning in
a sophomore effort that is deserving of a lot more
than extreme metal ears.
Riders Of the Plague is a blistering album from some
tremendously talented musicians. There are very few
extreme metal musicians that can keep my attention
solely by the sheer awesomeness of their music (Morbid
Angel, Chthonic, Nile, Tourniquet, Arch Enemy, Carcass,
and Vader are pretty much it) and The Absence are
now one of them. The six minute and forty-four second
“Merciless” displays everything that I’m
raving about, unbelievable guitar work, pounding and
driving rhythms, and brutal vocals. If you pick this
album up go straight to that song, you won’t
regret it. Other highlights include the late years
Carcass like title track, the pummeling rhythm of
“Dead and Gone,” and the punk driven extreme
anthem “Into the Pit.” Even the instrumental,
“Prosperity,” is worth your attention
and I don’t think I’ve ever suggested
an extreme band’s instrumental track as worth
anyone’s time.
The Absence are the future. With all the acclaim
being lavished on bands like Arch Enemy, Lamb of God,
and 3 Inches of Blood right now, let’s hope
the mainstream gets a hit of this band. The Absence
are every bit as good as any of the top bands in metal
today and, I dare say, better than the vast majority
of them. If these guys are half as good live as they
are on CD then I suspect we have new boundary breakers
among us.
Key Tracks: “Riders of the Plague,” “Merciless,”
and “Into the Pit”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher |
