After storming back through the gates with comeback album, 2018’s A Gift for the Obsessed, The Absence has returned for more melodic death metal glory with their fifth overall album in Coffinized. It’s a rare treat to get such refined and hard-hitting melodeath that tips the hat to Gothenburg anymore, so what the band has done this time around should be well-received by many in the extreme community.
Just as the band has always done, Coffinized is full of melodic death metal fury. The type that can just take your breath away when the frenetic thrashy riffing begins and then they drop in for a stunning melody on top of it. Such is the case for the opening title track, which offers a nice slow build into some glorious galloping riffs and inspired melodic touches atop them. The strongest aspect about Coffinized is that as the album continues to roll along, it never loses touch with being able to provide these little standout moments. For an album that thrives on adrenaline, there’s such a strong melodic undercurrent to it all that each song manages to find it’s own way to shine. Be it a rich solo (‘Aperture Expands”) or a slow, groovy melody (“Black Providence”), the band manages to keep it riveting even when they fixate on the more thrashy and frantic elements that make up the core of their sound (such as the thrilling rush that is “Discordia”). It’s a testament to how well the band is acclimated to this particular style, and how they can analyze the strengths/weaknesses and plan accordingly.
Showcasing a veteran act at its absolute best, Coffinized contains some of the strongest tracks from The Absence – no small feat considering the many vicious cuts they’ve delivered over the years. Their brand of Gothenburgian beauty meets American aggression is one that they have held on to and waved high for years, jam-packed with melodies without compromising the adrenaline rush.