It was good news for The Absence fans this week as the band released their first song in over three years. The track, named ‘Septic Testament’, marks the beginning of a new era for the band who have two new guitar players. Taylor Nordberg (Infernaeon and Ribspreader) and Joey Concepcion (Armageddon) were both featured on this new track and it will be interesting to see how they move forward with the band musically.
Septic Treatment, after being recorded by Taylor Nordberg and Jeramie Kling at Smoke & Mirrors Productions, was mixed at Ghost Ward Studios. David Castillo, known from bands such as Bloodbath and Katatonia, was in control of the mixing process before being moved on to The Panic Room where Thomas ‘Plec’ Johansson mastered the track. Now, months down the line, the track is available to all on Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play.
Fans are said to be excited about the new lineup and The Absence drummer, Jeramie Kling, has noted how Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) played guitar with the band when they recorded their 2013 album Oceans but he wasn’t able to tour so they had to find someone to take the reins. Taylor Nordberg played with Kling in Infernaeon and had been playing with the band live since 2013 and when Nilsson couldn’t tour, Nordberg was moved into a full-time role with Kling stating that he was the “obvious choice”. Furthermore, the band had to regroup once more last summer when Pat Pintavalle decided to focus on his own musical ventures. After seeing Joey Concepcion’s videos on Facebook, the band invited him down for a session and the new group was formed.
Fans of the band and the new song will be pleased to hear that a full album has been written and they have even started recording at Smoke & Mirrors Productions. With this in mind, they are said to be hoping for a release in early 2017.
When asked about the new album, vocalist Jamie Stewart said that he had enjoyed the writing process with his band mates Joey, Jeramie, and Taylor and that it brought back a feeling of the very early days when they first started to make music together. Stewart noted that the ‘business side’ of things inevitably changed the dynamic of the group but after three years out, things went back to the early stages. Finally, he finished off by saying that he could not wait for the world to listen to the music that they are producing and it is fair to say that their many fans will probably feel exactly the same way!
~EY
Image reference: http://www.metalblade.com/