Aebsence - Unusual

Perkele

Myself
Aug 27, 2002
263
1
18
In Hell
Aebsence - Unusual
2002


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When I first met the music of Aebsence I was really impressed. While folkish metal is quiet popular abroad, in my homecountry, in Hungary I can hardly find bands using traditional, Hungarian folk melodies in their contemporary music. So I was surprised and really happy to find Aebsence back then. They had a demo consisting of three songs appr. 5 years ago(became a cult release in the underground since) and finally they made theri first full length last year, simple titled `Unusual`.

Contemporary is the best definition for starting to talk about their music. Because you can find elements of different styles but overall you can`t put them into any category. Take a bit of modern rock/metal, a portion of alternative rock, spice it with a hint of grunge, concentrate the essence with a few progressive lines and finally, but not last don`t forget about your traditional folk roots. Put it into a magical bag and the next time you open this bag you will find Aebsence there. They created something really unusual. It`s something that everybody might like. You might like their harder side, or their softer stuff, you might like the melodic or the groovy, straightforward rhythms, the folkish melodies or the complex, progressiver passages or you can simple might get hooked on Peter Budai`s characteristic voice. Especially when he is singing the verses taken from old folk songs in our mothertounge, it sends cold shivers (but maybe because I understand the sad words, `come dawn, take my dreams, take the sorrow away from my soul`). Actually not every song contains folk elements but with it or without it, Aebsence music speaks for itself, for the feelings and different things that make you wonder on life.
Folk rock-metal bands have two opportunities to do with their music. They can simple entertain, in kind of a mixing the new age and old-fashioned ways, but at the other hand they can open up your eyes to see, that people generally haven`t changed too much. We have the same feelings and problems as our ancestors have. We are living in a technical, mechanical word but we are still just mortal human beings. Aebsence succeded in both. Viewing them from the side of rock, it`s great music but if you look deeper, you will hear their thoughts or messages - take it as you want. And not just with the lyrics of the folk songs but with their very own words. Sometimes these are really just word put next to each other, but expressing a lot. I also really like symbolics they use: "salt on your skin, it's feedin' the sea.
blood in your lips paints the sun for me."

I don`t know which song should be mentioned specificly since all of them are great. Of course I like the ones I had already known from their demo (Domestic Orders Only, Ols Black Song, Negative) a bit more but for now I appreciate all the songs on Unusual. I like their wildness, their vivid pulsation or their melacholy. The broken riffings, the down tuned guitars the repetative voice of Peter are as equal part of Aebsence as the soft melodies or his passionate singing or the violin or the flute or... anything else . The well-structured songs are varied with many details or they are just rather pale rock songs, it doesn`t matter. Seems this multifaced music is ageless. Some of their songs have been written years ago but they still have the same vibe, now in 2003. And Just to make it clear Aebsence is using folk melodies but they are not a folk-rock band.

Nowadays when the music scene is full with bands coming from even the smallest corners of the world, we have a bigger chance to find good, original bands but it rarely happens when we may find something really 'unusual'.

1. Nothing Unusual to Note
2. Countdawn
3. Domestic Orders Only
4. Deep
5. Brainsmash
6. Ultrasound
7. Old Black Song
8. Azure
9. 7/4
10. Negative
11. Sick Days

http://www.godolloweb.hu/aebsence/