EP Review: Absent – Towards The Void (World War Now Records)

World War Now Records will be releasing the debut record of Brazilian doomsters, Absent. Towards The Void will be out on CD format, February 23rd 2018.

Four tracks, four huge slabs of sludgy doom dripping in despair. Four tracks of melodic heaviness that sucks at your feet as each step forward becomes harder & harder. A surprising listen, only in that Absent’s style of sludge is not what you might expect.

Ophidian Womb is crushingly heavy but also made up of these psychedelic effects, vocals that soar with spiciness in the background & chunky riffs. You can picture the darkness around as you slowly make your way through the bog of misery all with the haunting vocals calling you to go deeper.

Semen Prayer initially keeps the slow doominess going but after a couple of minutes injects some pace turning into an up-tempo guitar ripping song. It’s short lived though as the drop into near silence is uncomfortable & threatening.

The expansive imagination of what Absent are able to provide results in one of the most thrilling sludgy tracks of the year in Funeral Sun before the echoey & gripping melody of Urine blasts out. Don’t let the soft start fool you though, this is by far the heaviest & most bleak sounding track of a record!

Absent – Towards the Void Full Track Listing:

1. Ophidian Womb
2. Semen Prayer
3. Funeral Sun
4. Urine

You can order the EP here and pick it up digitally via Absent’s Bandcamp here. Find out more over on Facebook.