Into The Pit
The name The Absence is perhaps more akin to the bands appearing on the bill at V Festival or Reading or one of the many mainstream indie infected festivals this country seems necessary to have. Thankfully when The Absence did grace my CD player the sound of brutal metal blew away any preconceptions of its lightweight leanings. Begun in 2001 by Patrick Pintavalle and Jamie Stewart, the band is an American five-piece with a love of all things Scandinavian. 'Riders of the Plague' is The Absence's second release and is an American take on the Swedish stylised (and dare I say Finnish as well) melodic death metal scene. With several strong players already in the genre, how do The Absence fair against the likes of Dark Tranquillity and Arch Enemy?
'Riders of the Plague' is produced by Scar Symmertry's knobs man Jona Kellgren, and I think this factor has helped capture the band's Scandinavian influences. Straight from the off the album is far away from the Killswitch Engages, Shadows Fall and Triviums of this world. It seems obvious to say that there is an under current of pre-Angela Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquillity on 'Riders of the Plague', but I think this is a testament to the band's ability to absorb the Scandinavian traits without being completely overrun by it. Speaking of Testament, there are a few moments of classic thrash throughout this disc most notably Testament. This was my opinion before I even reached the cover of Testament's 'Into The Pit,' which, is quite a dandy stab at it if I'm being honest.
'World Divides,' perhaps the best song on this album, is a perfect example of this Arch Enemy versus Testament style. The riffs are intricate, the guitar work clever but most of all there is a sense of melody to all of the axe work. This doesn't just go for this particular song but the album as a whole. 'Merciless' contains a great middle section that is exhilarating and varied, as is the solo work in the instrumental 'Prosperity'. Jamie Stewart handles the vocals with vicious aplomb without going over the top with his shouting and growling. His vocal lines are well pitched and impressively delivered, but at the same time sound nasty and convincing.
Like with all intricate and very heavy music it takes several spins to get your ears around its style and content. 'Riders of the Plague' is no different in that respect, for what will sound like a blazing incoherent row at first will soon melt into a collection of well crafted tunes. The album lacks a few moments of true hook-a-bility that the likes of Arch Enemy seem to have in abundance, and one can look at their lack of dynamics as something the band can work on in future. As it stands 'Riders of the Plague' is an excellent example of pseudo Scandinavian death metal. If you're aching for more bands like Dark Tranquillity and their ilk then this could be worth your time. It's subtly different to be stand away from the European acts but similar enough to be encompassed in the genre. If only they would change their weak name to something a little tougher such as 'Etheral of Death' or even 'Riders of the Plague'.