ALBUM REVIEW: Absolva, "Side By Side"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/04/2020

Label: Rocksector Records

“Side By Side” CD//DD track listing:

1. Advocate Your Fate
2. Burning Star
3. The Sky's Your Limit
4. Side By Side
5. Living A Lie
6. Legion
7. Eternal Soul
8. End Of Days
9. Heart Let's Go
10. From This World
11. 2 Minutes To Midnight (BONUS TRACK)
12. Heaven & Hell (BONUS TRACK)

The Review:

Absolva are a British metal band that combine a good dose of melody with the finest steel. They are a modern day heavy metal band- think Priest, Accept, Maiden, Saxon.... and then bring it up to 2020 via bands like Alter Bridge. If 2017's “Defiance” was a weighty affair, then “Side By Side” is a little slicker. Opener “Advocate Your Fate” is anthemic and driving in equal measure, “Burning Star” pulls the same trick at a faster tempo.

Similarly, the title track is a catchy melodic beast with some power to it as well. The likes of “Living a Lie” and “Legion” offer up a little more metal and a little less hard rock. The performances are excellent throughout, with Karl Schram and Martin McNee forming a lock tight rhythm section for Chris Appleton to weave some magical and soaring guitar work over, ably assisted by Iced Earth member and brother Luke Appleton.

The Maiden influence comes in strong on “Eternal Soul” with some incendiary instrumental sections. You can clearly see that Absolva wear their influences on their sleeve (after all, three of them are Blaze Bayley's backing band) but are also forging forward with a hybrid of hard rock and heavy metal. “End of Days” is a very strong and catchy track down the back stretch with a  triplet time feel making it stand out.

“Heart Lets Go” is a serviceable album track, but not up to the strength of “From This World” which closes out the album. With ethereal acoustic work and a well delivered vocal, it's a very strong way to finish the record. As a bonus, the band have also covered “Two Minutes to Midnight” and “Heaven and Hell”. It's a bold move, being as both songs are absolute classics of the genre. The Maiden cover is the pick of the two, as “Heaven and Hell” has the tempo picked up just a tad which alters the dynamic of the track a little. That said, that's two strong bonus tracks for the fans so no complaints.

Where “Side By Side” will sit in Absolva's canon, I am not yet sure. It's certainly better than “Flames of Justice” and “Never A Good Day To Die” and I think stronger- but less heavy- than “Anthems To The Dead”. It's perhaps more finely crafted than “Defiance”, but with less adrenaline fuelled material. Time will tell where it sits, but one thing's for sure this is a release of the finest quality with a bright and live sounding production being the icing on an impressive cake. It's great to hear a young British metal band that can compete with the old guard and the Americans. A strong album. 

“Side by Side” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Absolva - "Defiance"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 28/07/2017

Label: Rocksector Records

For anyone interested in melody and hooks, they will find them here. The guitar pyrotechnics are astonishing- really good solos- and the band as a whole sound very cohesive, live and tight. The UK's best kept secret in metal? Not for much longer. Absolva will soon reign!! 

“Defiance “CD//DD track listing:

CD 1

1. Life on the Edge

2. Defiance

3. Rise Again

4. Fistful of Hate

5. Never Be the Same

6. Alarms

7. Connections

8. Midnight Screams

9. Life and Death

10. Eclipse

11. Who Dares Wins

12. Reflection

CD 2 (Bonus)

1. Harsh Reality

2. Hundred Years (Live)

3. Live for the Fight (Live)

4. Drum Solo (Live)

5. Code Red (Live)

6. Never A Good Day to Die (Acoustic)

7. It Is What It Is (Acoustic)

8. Never Back Down (Acoustic)

The Review:

Absolva return with studio album number four. This Manchester metal band are amongst the hardest working in the business- three of them are Blaze Bayley's band and have played on his latest albums, one plays with Iced Earth as well! Holding down two regular bands is enough of a feat on its own, but to produce this level of quality across the board... well, that is another proposition entirely.

For those who are unfamiliar, Absolva are a heavy metal band. Not thrash, not trad, not blackened sludge with ambient passages: heavy metal. I suppose that their sound is mid way between, say, Judas Priest, Accept, Alter Bridge and Metallica. “Defiance” follows up the rather excellent never “A Good Day To Die” and continues down that road- while being a little heavier and a little more rocking to my ears.

Opener “Life On The Edge” sets the tone- blazing guitars, superb clean vocals and a meaty production. The title track is just as good- catchy and anthemic with a strong refrain. Truthfully, Absolva would go down really well as a support for any of the aforementioned bands- and that is exactly the type of tour they need to push them over the edge from professional band into the rock start bracket. That these boys are not in the mainstream press and consciousness as much as they should be is ridiculous.

As the album's twelve tracks progress, the quality control is there- each track is different and brings hooks, melody and weight. The urgency of “Rise Again” is balanced by the strong hooks. The mid paced likes of “Fistful of Hate” sit alongside faster tracks such as “Never Be The Same” and melodic tracks such as “Alarms”, while the revved up charge of “Who Dares Wins” delivers a shot of adrenaline as a counterpoint to the more restrained fare.

For your money, you also get a bonus CD (or MP3s, I suppose) of acoustic versions from earlier albums and a selection of live versions. As a nice bonus, it's a winner- it encourages the listener to delve into the back catalogue and gives value for money.

For anyone interested in melody and hooks, they will find them here. The guitar pyrotechnics are astonishing- really good solos- and the band as a whole sound very cohesive, live and tight. The UK's best kept secret in metal? Not for much longer. Absolva will soon reign, after all Maiden and Saxon won't be around forever.

“Defiance” is available here

Band info: official || facebook