Just as it was becoming apparent that the carcass known as the death metal genre had been picked clean, new sweetbreads have been discovered by THE ABSENCE.

These Tampa, FL natives have made quite a name for themselves on the road for the last few years, and that time spent honing their craft certainly shows on their second album, "Riders of the Plague." Each song is a tight, confident and bludgeoning statement of purpose. A strong melodic sense evidenced by the graceful playing of guitarists Peter Joseph and Patrick Pintavalle belie the brutal vocal style of lead throat Jamie Stewart and the extreme tempos and song structures evidenced throughout. As if this disc of adventurous and highly listenable metal wasn't enough, the band takes things a step further and scores some major league brownie points for a flawless cover of TESTAMENT's "Into the Pit." Clearly, "The New Order" is as fondly recalled as an album by these guys as it is by me. Throw up the horns, and fill the absence in your record collection with this bad boy!

- Broadbent

OFFICIAL SITE: www.theabsence.com

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Dead and Gone

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