Photo by Brittany Vaughan
Hamilton, Ontario-based punishing death/doom outfit ABSORB is pleased to unveil their video for “Smog.” Now playing at Decibel Magazine, the track comes off the band’s EP of the same name, set for release on July 26th via Hypaethral Records.
Forged in 2013, ABSORB — Jeff Luckel (lead guitar), David Eckmeier (rhythm guitar), Jason Luckel (bass), and Aaron Barthe (drums) — set out to cultivate a sound that was slow, dissonant, and quakingly heavy. After cycling through a number of vocalists, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place with the addition of vocalist Erik Thorkildsen in 2022. Since then, ABSORB has found its true sound, a perfect fit with Thorkildsen’s dominating vocal delivery.
Following the band’s 2023’s Rot EP, Smog marks a profound evolution for the band, embracing denser, more atmospheric compositions, that add new layers of depth to their monolithically heavy sound. ABSORB‘s music is a full-body visceral encounter, drawing from influences such as Primitive Man, Thou, and Cough, yet forging a sound that leaves listeners stunned. A three-track, twenty-five-minute aural assault, Smog is the next chapter in the band’s inexorable voyage to push their music beyond the limitations of death and doom.
Elaborates Thorkildsen on today’s single,” “The song ‘Smog’ is upbeat compared to our back catalog. Lyrically, it is about dealing with the grief of losing someone close and familiar. It’s a mental dump and a bit nonsensical. I believe this song flows the most naturally of any of our songs to date.”
Adds Decibel, “Driving deeper into a Summer that promises to be one of the hottest on record, we thought a video that showcases the aging infrastructure of our capitalist overlords wreaking environmental devastation would be just the thing to make us all feel sweatier and more terrified.”
Watch ABSORB’s “Smog” video at Decibel Magazine HERE.
Smog was produced, engineered, and mixed by Nick Ginn and mastered by Jamie King. Guitars were engineered and recorded by Andy Dmytryshyn. The EP will be released on limited CD (100 x four-panel digipak), limited 12” vinyl (100 Smog, 100 Black) and digital formats.
Find physical preorders at the Hypaethral Records webshop HERE and digital/physical orders at Bandcamp HERE where first single, “Dissociated,” can be streamed.
Fans of Primitive Man, Thou, Indian, Cough, FÓRN, Graves At Sea, and the like, pay heed.
ABSORB Live:
7/20/2024 Doors: Taco Joint And Metal Bar – Hamilton, ON * Record Release Show w/ Loversteeth, Greber, Seeth, Kawthra
Founded in 2012, Hypaethral Records stands as one of the preeminent labels in the realms of doom and blackened metal. This new ABSORB EP will stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside doom releases by QAALM, Olde, and Locusts And Honey.
ABSORB:
Jeff Luckel – lead guitar
David Eckmeier – rhythm guitar
Jason Luckel – bass
Aaron Barthe – drums
Erik Thorkildsen – vocals
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