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The Absence reminds me a lot of Arch Enemy. They play the same type of melodic death metal\gothenburg thrash metal. Probably
most striking is their vocalist. The enunciation of certain phrases sound pretty close to what Angela Glassgow is and has
been doing. It is then no surprise that in the band photos, an Arch Enemy is seen. But, unfortunately (or fortunately, depends
on how you view it) this is where the resemblance of the vocalist ends, as he does not look as attractive as his female counterparts
in the scene.
This is not just a gimmick band with a female vocalist to try to cash in on this. This is a band made up of men, that
know what they are doing. They show that t hey are quite capable to pull of this melodic death metal, and keep it interesting.
There is not flashy solos thrown around, or anything like that. But, they have found the balance of aggression and melody
that a good number of bands cannot find. They have worked in lead guitars with melody in various parts of songs, that actually
add to the song, instead of distract.
I usually do not like melodic death metal, as they seem to be missing elements that I love. They seem to have the tendency
to lack aggression or emotion, or good song structures and so on and so forth.
Therefore, it is my ruling that this band of men shall not work with Erik Rutan (who produced this album). I find that
they are lacking the bombastic feel that their music should have. This does not mean that production gets in the way of enjoying
this disc, it is merely that things do not shine through as they should. Other than watching out for the curse Rutan seemingly
puts into all his work, I rule that this album is found being innocent of leading people astray from good metal.
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