Rock has always had a fascination with cowboys—maybe it’s the outlaw spirit?
Anyway, Manchester’s Absolva are the latest to ride their steel horse, with their new album inspired by the film Tombstone.
That’s not the only thing different this time, either, as across these ten tracks there’s a whole host of guests.
On the first, for example, David Marcellis adds his trademark soaring sound to “Freedom and Glory.” But one thing has remained the same in this new frontier: Absolva are still absolute class.
Everything about this says so. The groove and energy of “The Thrill of the Chase”—on which main man Chris Appleton reckons it’s “what keeps him alive,” and in doing so he hits the nail on the head, surely?—or the brilliant ballad “Against the Odds,” where the exceptional Iced Earth man Stu Block sings as only he can, and Appleton rips out a solo to match.
“Hero in Your Life” has a more classic metal feel, a proper gallop of a thing, and Marcellis is back for the title track, which has a slashing riff sharp enough to cut through any British steel.
The guests keep coming, with a superb performance from Ronnie Romero on “Find My Identity”—and if the skill here is in finding the right song for the guest, then they’ve done it perfectly.
Absolva have long been a cut above pretty much everyone in their peer group, and the fists-up “The City Is Burning” is all the proof you need.
As well as being a fantastic band in their own right, the Manchester mob have been Blaze Bayley’s backing band, producers, and co-writers for years—and the boss man is front and centre on “Atlas (War Between the Gods).” It’s a magnificent thing, showing both band and singer in the best possible light.
“Left Behind” brings things down to brass tacks, while the fact the album ends with something bold and expansive like “The Streetfighters” is entirely in keeping with the vibe of the record as a whole.
The fact is, over their career—and they’ve been going long enough to be classic rockers themselves these days—Absolva have never made a bad record. That said, this is a cracker, and if there were any justice in the world, this would be the one to move them to the next level.
Rating: 8.5/10
