Short Reviews [Aebsence - 2004 - "Unusual"]

The Hungarian band Aebsence has existed since 1995 and has solid experience in live performances. However, "Unusual" is their first full-length album. The lineup is a traditional rock quartet (guitar, vocals, bass, and drums) with a couple of guest musicians on a few tracks. The disc opens with a short instrumental piece of Hungarian folk music performed on flute. All the further ten tracks are with vocals (English lyrics), and the music is a moderately complex, but definitely progressive, Cathedral Metal (think the dark beauty of Gothic cathedrals) either in pure form or with elements of guitar Art-Rock and those of Hungarian folk music, the latter of which are provided almost exclusively by flute. The only exception here is the song Ultrasound from the middle of the album, the first half of which is wonderful interplay between passages of violin and solos of bass going along with the minstrel-like three-voice male choir. The music is full of dramatics and is original, although the structure of guitar riffs, including those modified and adapted for Techno Metal, originates from classic Black Sabbath. While not something really unusual, the album is, nevertheless, very good and is better than 80-90 percents of those from Metal Blade Records' current repertoire.

Vitaly Menshikov: April 20, 2004