Absu hammers out fast American black metal band in the old school style like Slayer or Sodom, with added varying clean vocals and different types of song structures.
No CommentsTags: absu, Black Metal
The Black Moriah – Casket Prospects
An ex-Absu member in this band means that comparisons to Absu will be inevitable. However, Absu is basically a death metal band (Barathrum V.I.T.R.I.O.L.) who morphed into a Mercyful Fate-styled heavy metal band with black metal vocals and technical death metal drumming and vocals. The Black Moriah evokes the best of that style by bringing us a more Americanized version of the underlying speed metal that Mercyful Fate made famous (Don’t Break the Oath being its classic) with modern black metal vocals and straightforward death metald drumming.
What is great about The Black Moriah is that these songs preserve what has always separated heavy metal from the rest, which is its ability to tie riffs together and then reduce them to an entirely new statement through a concluding riff. Most of the riffs that form the body of each song are umptempo tremolo-strummed shorter riffs etching out brief melodies suspended in chromatic fills, but these set up each song for concluding material that transforms similar melodies and creates a radical shift in context. The result brings out what death metal did best, which was like H.P. Lovecraft stories evoke new worlds out of the mundane.
Casket Prospects shows us the basis of this band’s vision and where it can improve. Its unfortunate choice of name will lead most people to think The Black Moriah is a metalcore act; further, its similarity to Absu will be appreciated by many but also puts The Black Moriah in a difficult competitive position as an underdog. Also, what The Black Moriah is trying to do is in general a hard sell, since the speed/heavy metal audience has differentiated out into power metal which has driven the death metal audience further apart. However their style evolves, this band have shown a strength in songwriting that will take them far if they can get the aesthetic elements in line.
No CommentsTags: absu, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, the black moriah
Absu embarks on North American Connexus Continuation Tour 2013
Texan mythological occult heavy metal band Absu, who began life as a death metal band and ventured into NWOBHM-tinged black metal before arriving at their current hybrid of Mercyful Fate and modern progressive metal, have extended their North American tour dates through the end of the year.
If you have been aching to see these highly technically skilled musicians live and live in the eastern half of the United States, look toward these dates to tell you when to cancel all prior engagements and head to the club.
| 11/08/2013 | The Shop | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 11/09/2013 | Down And Over Pub | Milwaukee, WI @ (November Coming Fire Festival) |
| 11/10/2013 | Cobra Lounge | Chicago, IL |
| 11/11/2013 | Fubar | St. Louis, MO |
| 11/12/2013 | Beale Street Live | Indianapolis, IN |
| 11/13/2013 | The Maywood | Raleigh, NC |
| 11/14/2013 | The Pinch | Washington, DC |
| 11/15/2013 | Firehouse Saloon | Rochester, NY |
| 11/16/2013 | Mavericks | Ottawa, ON |
| 11/17/2013 | Boot & Saddle | Philadelphia, PA |
| 11/18/2013 | St. Vitus Bar | Brooklyn, NY |
Tags: absu, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, tour
Absu North American Tour 2013
Many know Absu as the band that transitioned from mythological death metal to heavy-metal tinged black metal to finally a progressive, jazzy, and eclectic blend of metal, Celtic folk and psychedelic fusion styles.
According to percussionist/vocalist Proscriptor, “We’re attempting to divide the concerts into two sections: the first act will showcase songs spanning from our entire discography, as the second act will focus on Phase Two from the album Tara: The Cythrául Klan’s Scrutiny. For the past couple of years, many of ABSU’s followers have requested specified songs from this chapter of Tara, so it is our aspiration to give the people what they want.”
The tour covers North America in the blood of the righteous, and gives Absu a chance to show off their psychedelic rock-metal fusion trilogy: Absu, Abzu and the upcoming Apsu. As always, it is expected that the tour will showcase fantastic musicianship, chaotic pits and manic scrambling of residents for talisman artifacts of protection against the summoned evil.
- 4/05/2013 Millcreek Tavern – Philadelphia, PA
- 4/06/2013 Roger’s – Chesapeake, VA
- 4/07/2013 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
- 4/08/2013 The Windup Space – Baltimore, MD
- 4/09/2013 Middle East upstairs – Cambridge, MA
- 4/10/2013 St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
- 4/11/2013 St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
- 4/12/2013 El N Gee – Hartford, CA
- 4/13/2013 Theatre Plaza – Montreal, QC
- 4/14/2013 L’Agitte – Quebec City, QC
- 4/15/2013 Wreck Room – Toronto, ON
- 4/16/2013 Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH
- 4/17/2013 Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL
- 4/18/2013 Rocco’s – Milwaukee, WI
- 4/19/2013 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
- 4/20/2013 Zoo Cabaret – Winnipeg, MT
- 4/22/2013 Dickens Pub – Calgary, AB
- 4/24/2013 Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
- 4/25/2013 Highline – Seattle, WA
- 4/26/2013 Ash Street Saloon – Portland, OR
- 4/27/2013 Shinneybrook Creek Cabins @ Festum Carnis – Soda Springs, CA
- 4/28/2013 DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA
- 4/30/2013 The Vex – Los Angeles, CA
- 5/01/2013 Ruby Room – San Diego, CA
- 5/02/2013 Rocky Point Cantina – Tempe, AZ
- 5/04/2013 The Boiler Room – Dallas, TX
For more information, check the Absu web coven.
Tags: absu, Black Metal
