The Absence 1

Tampa melodic metallers The Absence have premiered a new song entitled “Septic Testament”, their first new material in three years. The song is also the first to feature the band’s new guitarists Joey Concepcion (Armageddon) and Taylor Nordberg (Ribspreader, Infernaeon). Drummer Jeramie Kling comments:

“We had Per Nilsson [Scar Symmetry] playing guitar with us when we put out Oceans in 2013, but he was unable to tour with us so we had to find a fill-in guitarist. Taylor and I had played together in Infernaeon and so we’ve had him playing with us live since 2013. When Per became tied up with Scar Symmetry full-time Taylor was the obvious choice to be a permanent member. Then last summer Pat [Pintavalle, guitar] decided to leave the band to pursue his own musical ventures. I had been friends with Joey on Facebook and had seen his insane guitar videos so we invited him down to jam with us and bam! The rest is history.”

Frontman Jamie Stewart adds:

“Writing this album with Jeramie, Taylor and Joey has been a fantastic experience to say the very least. For me personally, it brought back a feeling of the early days when we first started playing; back to a time when it was all together, a visceral experience, long before the business side sunk its inevitable hooks in. I cannot wait for the world to hear the best album this band has made to date!”

The group are currently at Kling’s Smoke & Mirrors Productions working on their new album, with an early 2017 release in mind.

The Absence 2

[via MetalSucks]