Absolon – The Blood Seed

Absolon
The Blood Seed
No Life Til Metal Records
Out: February 23^rd, 2024
Playing time: 37:42

Absolon hail from Orlando (Florida) and were founded in 2012 by singer Ken Pike. New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWTHM) is used as the pigeonhole to categorise the band’s sound. That already says a lot. Role models are genre greats such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Queensryche. The debut album ‘Darkness Rising: The Tale of Derek Blackheart’ was released in 2013 – an epic concept album. However, it then took a full nine years until the next, long-awaited sign of life, the album ‘A Portrait of Madness’. An EP was released shortly before. Fortunately, the follow-up ‘The Blood Seed’ was not so long in coming and was released in February.

Already on ‘Destroyer’ you can hear punchy Melodic Power Metal. Alex Repetti impresses with his variable guitar playing. ‘Darkness Calls’ starts a little more quietly. The drums that start shortly afterwards are accompanied by a subtle Hammond. Ken Pike’s vocals are underpinned by rhythmic riffs. The crowning glory is a filigree guitar solo. A wonderful power ballad follows with ‘My Shadow’. From about the middle, however, the balladlike area is abandoned. And we hear a great Metal anthem. With ‘Anger Unconfined’, the band picks up the pace again. The title track ‘The Blood Seed’ begins with sacred organ sounds. But after just thirty seconds or so, there is a crash from the speakers. Another Metal anthem.  A fade in introduces another anthem with ‘The Time Has Come’. The song title ‘Gates Of Hell’ lives up to its name. Guitar riffs that could really come from hell and high Metal screams characterise what is probably the heaviest song on the album. And of course, the guitar solo also creates a hellish atmosphere. ‘War Of Angels’ sounds combative, in keeping with the title.

On ‘The Blood Seed’, Absolon clearly show their roots. But they are not a copy of the bands mentioned above. On the contrary, the musicians have created their very own sound. Traditional Heavy Metal played brilliantly.

Absolon – Destroyer: https://youtu.be/lTfuvnhyBUg?si=Arq97km3Z0y2Yu-E

Lineup:

Ken Pike – Vocals
Alex Repetti – Guitars, Bass, Vocals (backing)
Wayne Noon – Drums

Track list:

• Destroyer
• Darkness Calls
• My Shadow
• Anger Unconfined
• The Blood Seed
• The Time Has Come
• Gates Of Hell
• War On Angels (Heavens On Fire)