The Absence @ 1720 5-15-19
Articles by "The Absence"
Deicide's Overtures Brings Nothing But Blasphemy to Los Angele's 1720!
Where to begin with an act such as Deicide. Being death metal and active for over 30 years, with twelve albums under their belts, their twelfth album "Overtures of Blasphemy" being just released and pleasing metalheads alike. The band would of course go out on tour, promoting said release, with a bill unlike any before. This was a strict death metal based touring trek, not with some acts you may think of but quite close. Rounding out the line-up for tonight's events at Los Angeles venue 1720, a warehousing establishment, held forth an all age range of individuals, most if not all dressed in black! But that's not all because the line-up was heavy as possible, including acts such as The Absence, Jungle Rot, Origin and Deicide!
The Absence kicked off the night, performing a 20 minute setlist that consisted with them interacting with the crowd, getting everyone pumped up for the rest of the nights acts. Throughout their performance, fans got rowdy in the pit, while others stood back and enjoyed the tunes, that were catchy and fast hitting with pure heaviness. Surely their presents of performance tactics made their set really eye worthy of style and sound that was death metal done on their behalf.
The Absence
Up next was Jungle Rot, who erupted the stage, getting everyone in eye shot really roughed up. All there were consistently moving throughout the floor especially in the mosh pit. Like literally everyone who was on the surrounding’s of the pit, were involved within it, whether they just standing there pushing and shoving everyone else, or them falling alongside those who kept falling down. Everyone else just getting into the energy of all of it really. Jungle Rot keeping that energy of themselves and the crowd in high ranges, their performance being kept heavy and raw in tone. Interactions with the crowd being nothing but angst and pride. Jungle Rot bringing a new edge to the death metal genre, the jungle version.
Jungle Rot:
Following them was Origin, whose death metal styling was truly original. One of the most noted effects done by them, was their vocalist constantly voicing his opinion with the crowd of on lookers. Telling everyone to bang their heads, crowd surf the audience, to the mosh pit of shovers and pushers to get crazy! Non-stop happening’s took place during their set-up. The band performing nothing but grace, heaviness and pure on elegance. Moving so much was everyone around, no matter which way you looked, you got the vibrations instantly, that kept flowing until the last song was sung.
Concluding the night would be the death metal legends of all Deicide. Main man Glen Benton hitting 50, still has it going on, with the band after 30 years strong. Twelve albums down, nothing would prevent the madness that would unravel. Once they had everything in gear, Deicide would play off for the next good hour or so, playing a lot of the classic tracks, and newer tracks of material. This time though, the crowd would be insanely intense. If not at the barricade in the front, to those in the very back, everyone would be either pushed together, crowd surfing atop one another, or falling or pushing one another whichever way available. It was literal chaos throughout their entire performance. Deicide being very fierce with their performance, never breaking at all, but going forward with each song played, the crowd interacted with glee. Some of the tracks played would include such like “Dead By Dawn”, “Scars of the Crucifix”, and “Bible Basher”.
Deicide:
When the band was wrapping up their setlist, fans were shouting for more, encouraging an encore to take place. But once the band had played their final song of the night, an encore would not take place, as many were heading out the entrance doors, others hurrying to buy last minute merchandise or grabbing a late night drink. Deicide were done for the night, but ended on a high end note, of the death metal genre.
SETLIST:
1. Dead by Dawn
2. When Satan Rules His World
3. Scars of the Crucifix
4. Crawled From the Shadows
5. They Are the Children of the Underworld
6. One With Satan
7. Once Upon the Cross
8. Defying the Sacred
9. Serpents of the Light
10. Seal the Tomb Below
11. Oblivious to Evil
12. Excommunicated
13. Dead but Dreaming
14. In the Minds of Evil
15. Sacrificial Suicide
16. Homage for Satan
DEICIDE ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR
US death metal legends Deicide have just announced their spring North American headline tour. The band will hit the road starting May 11th in Austin, TX to June 1st in New York City and will be making stops in major markets like Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and more. Deicide will be joined by Origin, Jungle Rot, and The Absence as support.
TOUR DATES:
May 11 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live!
May 12 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
May 13 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
May 14 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
May 15 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
May 16 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
May 18 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
May 20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
May 22 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
May 23 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
May 24 - Cleveland, OH - The Odeon
May 25 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest*
May 27 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
May 28 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
May 29 - Montreal, QC - L'Astral
May 30 - Quebec City, QC - Le d'Auteuil
May 31 - Manchester, NH - Jewel Nightclub
June 1 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
*Deicide only
THE ABSENCE ANNOUNCES NEW TOUR, ALBUM, AND RELEASES LYRIC VIFEO OF NEW SONG "THOUGHT AND MEMORY"
Having returned with a vengeance from an eight-year hiatus via their acclaimed comeback album "A Gift For The Obsessed", the Tampa, Florida-based melodic death metal powerhouse THE ABSENCE has announced its first tour in support of the record, which will see the group join forces with Exmortus and Hatchet for three weeks before headlining another week's worth of shows. A full list of the group's upcoming dates can be seen below.
Says vocalist Jamie Stewart, "We are beyond excited to hit the road with these great bands, and we are very much looking forward to unleashing our new songs live. It’s going to be sick!"
To celebrate their return to the road, the group has unveiled a new lyric video for their crushing song "Thought & Memory." According to Stewart, the track was inspired by Norse mythology. "Odin has two ravens – Huginn and Muninn, which loosely translate to thought (or spirit, in some cases) and memory, respectively," he says. "Each day, these ravens fly, soaring throughout the world, retrieving news from all over to keep Odin informed. It is said that he fears that the two ravens may never return, although he fears more for Muninn (memory/mind) than for Huginn (thought/spirit). There are various interpretations that can be taken – spiritual, magical, poetic – but what I did with the words thought and memory was to take them at their literal definition and apply them to an everyday existence. How can somebody truly use these to guide themselves in a positive direction? We have a million thoughts that run through our heads every single day, and we all have choices to make with them in mind. In these instances, one should uses the memories they have gained to separate what they think is right from what they know is wrong, no matter how hard that choice is. In reference to Odin fearing more the loss of memory over the loss of thought, one could see the possible detriment of a life devoid of memories."
Check out the “Thought & Memory” video, created by Rafael Ortega (Ayreon, Helsott, Sicocis), at this location: https://youtu.be/5vYqZRmPxVQ.
TOUR DATES:
7/5 Tampa, FL – Crowbar *
7/6 Atlanta, GA – 529 Bar ^
7/7 Spartanburg, SC – Ground Zero ^
7/8 Richmond, VA – Canal Club *
7/9 Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz *
7/10 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus ^
7/11 Palladium – Worcester, MA ^
7/12 Quebec City, QC – Source de la Martiniere ^
7/13 Toronto, ON – Hard Luck Bar ^
7/15 Joliet, IL – The Forge %
7/16 Minneapolis, MN – Lee’s Liquor Lounge %
7/17 Kansas City, MO – Riot Room %
7/18 Denver, CO – Roxy Theater ^
7/19 Salt Lake City, UT – Club X ^
7/21 Boise, ID – The Shredder ^
7/22 Seattle, WA – Club SUR ^
7/23 Portland, OR – Twilight Cafe & Bar ^
7/24 Oakland, CA – Metro Opera House ^
7/25 Fullerton, CA – Slidebar #
7/26 Mesa, AZ – Club Red +
7/27 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad +
7/28 El Paso, TX – Rockhouse Bar +
7/29 Dallas, TX – Reno's Chop Shop +
7/30 Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live +
7/31 Houston, TX – BFE Rock Club +
^ with Exmortus, Hatchet
* with Exmortus, Hatchet, Black Fast
% with Exmortus, Hatchet, Micawber
# with Thrown Into Exile, Goregang
+ with Goregang
The Absence Releases Video for "A Gift For The Obsessed"
The Tampa-based melodic death metal band The Absence will release "A Gift For The Obsessed,” their first album in eight years, through M-Theory Audio on March 23, 2018. The song is also available for streaming and purchase on all digital platforms.
Says vocalist Jamie Stewart, ""A Gift For the Obsessed", embodies many of the dynamics that The Absence stand for as a whole: melody, brutality, speed, dexterity, cadence, etc. -- a truly comprehensive and cohesive listening experience indeed! The title of the album/song refers to that very moment when any artist or creator makes something to the integral point of satisfaction -- when your craft meets your obsession in furious culmination, and you are finally able to take a step back, if only for just a moment, completely fulfilled by the fruits of your artistic labor. It‘s one of the most maddening yet needed satisfactions in life -- exorcism through creation."
A video for the album’s blistering title track, which premiered via MetalSucks, can be viewed at this location here: http://www.metalsucks.net/2018/01/18/trackvideo-premiere-the-absence-a-gift-for-the-obsessed/.