On January 1st, 2018 Brazilian three piece Absent released their debut EP "Towards the Void" and set the bar extremely high for doom metal this year. The band chose the title well as each track feels like a slow march into the endless abyss, especially given the way the sound swirls with reverb. Songs will bulldoze you with a wall of overbearing somber riffage, but then pull back to leave you floating in a space that now feels very empty as distant psychedelic tunes aimlessly wander around you. When the vocals call out, it's like a trail of ghosts trying to reach you from dimensions unknown, helplessly urging you to turn back. Add to this some trippy guitar solos and bottomless echoes and you can definitely feel the music working its way into your head space. Plus a few chants strewn throughout breathe some eerie tones into it that keep you moving hypnotically towards the black. The only thing I'm unsure of with this release is why they've dubbed it an EP - clocking in at just over 40 minutes, this is as long as most full-length albums. But if what they're suggesting is that a future album will have even more material, I'm all for it! Towards the Void is one hell of a way to start the year and a recording career, so I'm looking forward to more of both! -Brandon
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