▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Absenta ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Eel █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-17 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Necromance Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The older you get the more you find things █
█ starting to sound the same; nothing is quite as █
█ original any more. I think thatÆs why I always █
█ tend to prefer bands that are a bit more difficult █
█ to pigeon hole. And Spanish based Absenta are █
█ certainly that. Forged in the hellish heat of █
█ southern Spain in 2001 (their words), Absenta play █
█ black metal. But not necessarily black metal as █
█ you may immediately think. They have more in █
█ common with the likes of Agalloch and Wolves In █
█ The Throne Room (but without the long meandering █
█ songs) and Mgla than your Mayhems and Darkthrones. █
█ Second album Eel starts with the slow thunder-roll █
█ of You Left Me Dry, that is characteristic of the █
█ album. No blastbeat fest this, the band settle for █
█ a slower than typical for black metal approach to █
█ their music, which doesnÆt detract from the █
█ heaviness of it all. Vocally Ram≤n DR alternates █
█ between your expected black metal harshness and a █
█ lower and slower almost growl/spoken word approach █
█ which fits perfectly with the near sound-scape █
█ nature the band create. █
█ Burying Another Part of Your Soul is by far the █
█ longest track on the album, but uses all the █
█ dynamics and time changes at the bands disposal to █
█ keep your interest before leading into Howls Under █
█ Growing Oceans. This Song continues the slower █
█ almost doom like approach that some would argue █
█ makes the bandÆs self appointed black metal tag █
█ almost inappropriate. This isnÆt to say that Eel █
█ is a slow album. Far from it. The speed is ever █
█ changing, the band refusing to stick to one set █
█ formula for the duration of even one song. And █
█ itÆs this fact that makes Eel such a surprisingly █
█ interesting listen. █
█ Title track Eel is a little more straight forward, █
█ for the most part. Starting with a very typical █
█ barrage of riffing, thundering drums and harsh █
█ vocals. It then segues into a slower atmospheric █
█ melodic break before descending into a maelstrom █
█ of blastbeats very reminiscent of Mgla, which I █
█ would consider high praise indeed. █
█ Closer Darkened Blood opens with the blastbeat █
█ frenzy and grabs the listener by the throat and █
█ refuses to let go, showing that Absenta may well █
█ have saved their best song for last. They throw in █
█ some very atypical almost groove-based riffs █
█ towards the end which somehow mesh incredibly well █
█ with the frantic tremolo picking of guitarists █
█ Agui and Luis. █
█ Eel is not your typical black metal record. ItÆs █
█ not a typical record at all. ItÆs atypical, █
█ different and impossible to pigeon-hole and all █
█ the better for it. █
█ █
█ Stand-out tracks: Darkened Blood, You Left Me Dry. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. You Left Me Dry 5:07 ░
░ 2. Burying Another Part of Our Soul 7:08 ░
░ 3. Howling Under Growing Oceans 5:47 ░
░ 4. Erasing the Traces of an Ungrateful 3:53 ░
░ Cowar ░
░ 5. Eel 5:36 ░
░ 6. Requiem for a Stream 4:21 ░
░ 7. Darkened Blood 4:25 ░
░ 36:17 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░