Absu Review
by Mark Hensch
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The first tales of Absu were told in 1991, when the Plano, Texas act emerged with their brand of manic blackened thrash metal. As the band dug deeper and deeper into lore, their cannon of work became more esoteric, eventually coalescing into the "mythological occult metal" that is now synonymous with their output. Aggressive yet ethereal, Absu quickly emerged as living legends, a crown jewel of the United States Black Metal movement.
Sadly, Absu's myth fell silent in 2004. Many feared 2001's Tara was the end of an era, the last of Absu's stories reaching an audience. In 2009, however, a triumphant retelling of the Absu legend occurred. This newest chapter a self-titled album and the band's first recording in eight years breathes new life into ancient, wizened lungs.
Though the band's traditional focus on cutting riffs remains intact, Absu sees the band introduce decidedly psychedelic influences into the band's sound. Evil yet ethereal, this subtle nuance shifts Absu's feel away from the primal warring of earlier records towards the conjurations of mages in battle. Magical and murderous, it gives the band a newfound otherworldly aura.
In keeping with this theme, a ghostly wail summons album opener "Between the Absu of Eridu and Erech." The band's trademark unbridled aggression gets a dose of the spooky, spectral melodies drifting in and out of the blastbeating maelstrom. The highlight is undoubtedly the song's phantasmal drum solo, a veritable funeral march for the dead.
After this, the album immediately unloads a treasure trove of future classics. "Night Fire Canonization" is vintage Absu, a no-prisoners thrasher which scorches eardrums with blistering leads and frenzied drumming. The eerie "Amy," meanwhile, seduces with its deceptively catchy guitar parts before unleashing a torrent of mania which flutters like the flight of bats. Last but not least, "Nunbarshegunu" twists and turns like a cyclone, its whirling vortex of guitars and percussion eventually collapsing into a headbanging riff replete with stabbing leads.
From this point forward, Absu ascends into progressively cosmic realms. "13 Globes," for example, is a song which blasts through passages of angular, precise chords before floating away into ringing guitar tones and hypnotic chimes. The long-named "
Of the Dead
," meanwhile, invokes the spirits of the deceased with a riotous piece eventually turning into a crushing beatdown replete with a transcendent mellotron solo. After this, "Magic(k) Square Cipher" casts a spell of destruction with its angular riffing patterns and fiery, wicked solos.
As solid as the above is, the final third of the album is every bit as strong. For starters, "In the Name of Auebothiabaithobeuee" is an alchemical mix of a vicious rhythm section and guitar incantations more advanced than most of Absu's contemporaries. Lead single "Girra's Temple," meanwhile, is a labyrinthine thrasher befitting Tara. "Those of the Void will Re-Enter" begins with shimmering, ambient effects which give the actual heavy metal the feel of an alien invasion. "Sceptre Command" is more typical thrash, the speed and intensity of the song being wrested back and forth between blindingly fast and crushingly slow. The album's last proper song, "Ye Uttuku Spells," sports patient, hazy riffs and epic background effects, setting up the atmospheric closer "Twix Yesterday the Day & the Morrow."
The compelling hook of myth is that regardless of the times they entertain, amuse and enlighten listeners. Absu is no different. Containing just the right balance between older characteristics and newer change, this is a gripping new chapter in the Absu mythos.
Tracklisting
Between the Absu of Eridu & Erech
Night Fire Canonization
Amy
Nunbarshegunu
13 Globes
...of the Dead Who Never Rest in Their Tombs Are the Attendance of Familiar Spirits Including: A.) Diversified Signs Inscribed/B.) Our Earth of Black/C.) Voor
Magic(k) Square Cipher
In the Name of Auebothiabaithobeuee
Girra's Temple
Those of the Void Will Re-Enter
Sceptre Command
Ye Uttuku Spells
Twixt Yesterday the Day & the Morrow
CD Info and Links
Absu Rating:10.00 out of 10.00
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