Canadian rockers Black Absinthe release their latest EP titled “Early Signs Of Denial” and it’s an EP you should check out. Ranging from classic metal like Black Sabbath to modern rock in Alice In Chains, add a bit of stoner rock, black metal and power metal and what you have is a varied mix of some great music at hand.
Black Absinthe are not an easy band to pin as far as describing their style. Soundwise it’s an eclectic mix of dirty, raw and clean if that makes sense but from the opening track “The Wild” to the very end with “Winter”, the band take you through a varied array of genres and sounds that makes for an interesting listen. At times you are surprised when a track like “Is This Life” hits you with it’s Black Sabbath inspired riffs and a touch of aggressive vocal styles that isn’t too far removed from a much darker type of metal but for the most part, the band retain an almost classic sound that only ventures off on a tangent when needed.
“The Wild” is reminiscent of Alice In Chains with it’s early 90’s sounding heavy rock that is toe tapping fun. The oddly named “Berj Khalifa” at times threatens to move into heavier territory especially when it launches into some double bass parts but the more melodic choruses keep it at bay. “Pigs” is a cool song and again blends mostly clean singing with some growls here and there but it’s a fairly heavy song a lot of times regardless of the vocal style. “Now” is a highlight with it’s chugging riff that leads into a rolling beat, a kind of punk rock vibe seemingly moving about here but with a bit of dirty heavy rock sound. It’s the most varied track here but also the best one as it takes you on a bit of a rollercoaster ride between these different styles.
“Winter” really gets the blood pumping with a very cool guitar intro starting things off before launching into what sounds like a black metal attack before jumping around to power metal territory, complete with both growly and clean vocals. This is a far departure from where the EP started out and you wonder if you are even listening to the same band at this point. “Early Signs Of Denial” kinda throws you off at every opportunity but underneath all of the sneaky undertones and heavier parts is a collection of classic sounding rock songs that is both melodic and heavy at the same time. It never really reaches any of the extremes on both sides so it’s fairly friendly to most listeners but at the same time, it makes me wonder what this band would sound like if they just completely broke away from it all and busted into some seriously heavier stuff. The potential is there as the band sway from stoner rock stuff to prog grooves to mid-tempo heavy rock leaving the door wide open to go where they choose to. It’s all here and it all sounds good!
TRACKLIST
The Wild
Is This Life
Burj Kalifah
Pigs
Now
Winter
