Review: Abscence ‘Enigma’
When we think of the black metal genre, we tend to look towards the Scandinavian countries for reference. With the likes of Mayhem and Emperor having been pioneers in the scene, it wasn’t until Cradle of Filth hit the scene in the early nineties that anyone dared to look at other countries for similar entities.
With a heritage as rich and full as the UK is for heavy music, and scenes such as stoner, doom, and grindcore being pivotal, black metal was never really a stop-off point for a little look around.
Now it might be my naivety, but beyond Cradle of Filth, the UK doesn’t really have any other bands that have had the same kind of success in the black metal market, and in all honesty, other than their debut The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh back in 1994, I have been oblivious to them and the scene really.
At the time, that band created something quite special, and in my eyes, they have never reached anything near the same quality ever since. I did, at the time, try and educate myself somewhat in black metal, but it just wasn’t for me really, it was all too far off the chart of what I liked, and I quickly moved on.
I thought my days of liking anything from that genre were long behind me until a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon a band, and an album I am reviewing today. They are Abscence, and their debut, Enigma.
Now, I know this isn’t the normal Shaman fodder, and while our dear editor doesn’t usually indulge this fayre, I am very honoured that he did give me the opportunity to cover this opus, because, honestly, I fucking love this album. For me, this is the first time since the mid-‘90s that I’ve even looked twice at a black metal album, let alone enjoyed it, but here we are. Just to put it out there real early, this is the album Cradle of Filth wishes they could have made.
To give you a brief little introduction to the band, the quartet are from Yorkshire, and consist of Balor on main vocals, Mordred on guitars, Gawain on keys, and Morrigan on bass and co-vocals. Between them, they have conjured up an album as black as pitch, which incorporates a fair splattering of gothic operatic majesty amongst the putrid screams. At over the course of almost an hour in length, it is a thrill ride in the black arts with a refreshing twist, which I truly believe is breathing new breath into the corpse of the black metal scene.
a visceral mix of pummelling drums, screeching guitar and a venomous guttural vocal attack…
If you aren’t versed in the genre at all, and for you it is nothing beyond a bunch of musicians in scary face paint and breakneck instrumentation, then now is probably the time to take a proper look. As debuts go, this is incredibly mature and sounds like a band who should be far further into their career than they are.
Opening with We Abandon Worldly Pearls, a sombre ambience is quickly destroyed by a visceral mix of pummelling drums, screeching guitar and a venomous guttural vocal attack, that leaves no doubt as to the nature of the band. This plays for a while before dropping back into a different mode, as the clean second vocal shines through and things change in tone. The ritualistic keyboard work, synonymous with a lot of black metal sounding bands, is ever present throughout and adds an extra layer of intensity to the mood. Sometimes more at the forefront, and at others being held back to provide an atmospheric underpinning, and its inclusion is on point.
Under Moon’s Glance continues the theme as it rolls in, and complete with Dani Filth style screams it pushes at those Cradle of Filth comparisons, even more so when the drumming sounds every bit as volatile as Nick Barker’s was. But this is no mere impression, Abscence aren’t a band who are copying that old formula, and that’s made abundantly clear as the piece progresses and they evolve into an entirely different beast.
Over the course of the album, it becomes glaringly obvious as to the nature of the band, and their sound, but just when you think you have Abscence all sussed out, they throw in the track Eternal Vows Of Midnight, which, for me, is the highlight of the whole album. Slower and more otherworldly in its nature, even from its inception, it has a different vibe. The ethereal vocal is beautifully sublime and really elevate the band into a realm far beyond basic black metal. Feeling more like an European symphonic metal act, but without the overblown theatrics.
Cloak wastes no time returning us to the dark abyss promptly afterwards, and from then on, it’s like an aural assault until the album’s end, where the final hurrah isn’t an apocalyptic climax, more so a sombre farewell.
As debuts go, it’s incredibly accomplished, and as for the black metal scene, this will give it the kick up the arse it so rightly deserves. Keep an eye out for Absence, they really are something special.
Label: Independent
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
