The Absence - Riders Of The Plague

The second album from Tampa, Florida’s The Absence was truly a group effort. They brought aboard a ton of guest musicians for the album. Producer Jonas Kjellgren lends guitar and vocals on a couple tracks, Scar Symmetry guitarist Per Nillson, Santiago Dobles from Aghora, James Murphy (Death, Testament) and Jonas Granvik (Without Grief, Edge of Sanity) also appear on various tracks.

Riders Of The Plague continues the melodic death metal combined with thrash sound of 2005’s From Your Grave, but the band has improved in all areas. The songs have the European melodeath vibe mixed with great thrash guitar riffs and solos from Peter Joseph and Patrick Pintavalle. Aggression and brutality are tempered by catchy hooks and memorable melodies. Jamie Stewart delivers his harsh, raspy vocals with a lot of passion, emotion and angst.

Kjellgren’s production is also very good. The instruments sound crisp and punchy and there’s a nice balance with nobody being buried in the mix. The Absence hits on all cylinders on Riders Of The Plague and really show their growth and maturity as a band. The songwriting and musicianship are excellent, and they also pay tribute to the old school with a cover of Testament’s “Into The Pit.”