BLACK ABSINTHE was born a little over a decade ago, yet On Earth Or In Hell is only its second full-length. While not necessarily a cause for concern, this will be a sure test of the sophomore slump most bands experience on their second release.
‘Dead Queen’ begins with a snappy riff/rhythm combo, but it seems a bit overproduced for the heavy metal/punk hybrid the trio is shooting for. Still and all, Cerre’s vocals are like a less hammered Lemmy, the mix is full, and none of the instruments are muscling the others out of the way, so let’s call this one a win. While not as aggressive on its face as the opener, ‘Nobody Knows’ blends a bit of sleaze and hard rock together, think Non-Sebastian Bach SKID ROW, L.A. Guns without Phil Lewis, and you’ve got the general idea.
‘Jean Lanfray’ moves more slowly, almost grunge in its execution, watery bass and drum work (from Scarlett and (relatively) new addition Villalobos respectively) underpinning tasteful leadwork from Cerre in this tale of an early 20th century alcohol-fueled murder. Made into a full album, with dual leads and falsetto vocals, we’ve got ourselves a KING DIAMOND story in the making, folks, and – in this case – encouraging repeated spins. The title track is a true barnburner, the first element of anything punk-related I’ve heard as yet, but reminiscent of a more metal-driven BIBLE OF THE DEVIL or ZEKE, still retaining the band’s core sound.
‘Essentially Fucked’ returns to more melodic realms at first, quickly enough transitioning to a lumbering, vengeful swagger-stomp. DEVILDRIVER circa The Fury Of Our Maker’s Hand wouldn’t be too much of a stretch in comparison, methinks. When you get right down to brass tacks, BLACK ABSINTHE seems to have hit that sweet spot when tossing a shit-ton of influences from across much of the hard music spectrum results in something more than listenable and downright enjoyable.
On Earth Or In Hell: 1
Sophomore Slump: 0
Review By: Lord Randall
BLACK ABSINTHE
On Earth Or In Hell
Independent