Sunday 5 April 2015

Absentia Lunae - Vorwarts


Tracklist:-

1. Dissolution Mechanism
2. Furor Of The Monuments
3. Rapace Planare
4. Manipulated Statues Of Flesh
5. Vorwarts
6. Tragedy Told By Golden Horns
7. L'arrivee

When people think Italian extreme metal, the first name that may come to mind is that of symphonic/technical death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse. While they may have put the country on the map is recent years, there are more bands from across the spectrum that are equally as impressive. Black metallers Absentia Lunae are one such band and Vorwarts is their latest release. Spanning ten years as a band (give or take a few months of inactivity), Absentia Lunae has released two demos and three full-lengths to date.

Absentia Lunae are billed as an avantgarde band. On Dissolution Mechanism they initially come across as being industrial and militaristic, which is no surprise considering their penchant for wearing gas masks. What they do present is clever and approachable black metal with audible vocals and a solid production. Absentia Lunae are able to weave captivating atmospherics into their ritualistic battle songs, like during the opening passages of Furor Of The Monuments. They certainly aren’t just one-trick ponies. This is a side to their music that I especially like. Rapace Planare builds on the band’s occult overtones, amongst their icy attack. The metallic riffs throughout are great to listen too and the orchestral song-structure makes it sound pretty complex. The clean singing later on in the song compliments the orchestral structure and feel even more. They switch between earthy and orchestral to cold and raw with ease on Manipulated Statues Of Flesh. It’s a lot of heavier and contains more urgency, but still contains just enough atmosphere to keep even post-metal fans happy. The title track is Absentia Lunae at their battle-ready best. It’s a mid-paced lesson in controlled violence and hatred. Likewise, penultimate tome Tragedy Told By Golden Horns features some great rhythmic drumming and chant-like singing throughout. Absentia Lunae escape into moments of off-kilter merauding at times, but don’t lose their heads and always regain their momentum. Their final battle-laden song L’arrivee finishes Vorwarts with the same menacing atmosphere in which is began, although it is more of an outro than a full song. Absentia Lunae are very listenable and worthy of higher praise, due to the quality of musicianship and songwriting on Vorwarts. Their not just a black metal band and it shows. 

Stream the album here:- 



You can purchase both digital download and CD versions from ATMF's bandcamp page above.

Absentia Lunae Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/absentialunae
ATMF Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aeternitas.tenebrarum

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