When people talk about Melodic Death Metal these days, they often come up with a list of bands where the definition is debatable, to say the least. I won’t get into that now, but The Absence definitely belongs in that category because of their 90s Scandinavian influences.
Basically, they play an American version of ‘Slaughter of the Soul’, which is clearly heard in the guitar parts and melodies, as well as the solos and riffs of the first two Arch Enemy albums, just listen to ‘Radiant Devastation’, with hints of early Soilwork here and there.
There’s nothing wrong with that, as those are still records I enjoy listening to today. But more importantly, The Absence has said “stop, this far and no further” at a certain point in time. So, there are no emotional clean vocals or over-sensitive passages, just Melodic Death Metal from the ’95-’98 era. Only with a slightly more modern and American sound.
It’s worth a listen if Melodic Death Metal immediately makes you think of the 90s.
