New Music Report – March 25, 2022

Two surprise albums two weeks in a row. I don’t know how I didn’t hear about Absent in Body until today, but man, I sure am glad that I caught it, what a cool supergroup. Not to mention, Animals as Leaders, which is just huge. Honestly, they’re a little too cold and proggy for me, but I realize how big the release is.

Absent in Body – Honestly, all I need to say about this band is where its members come from. Absent in Body is a four-piece featuring Scott Kelly from Neurosis, Colin Van Eeckhout and Mathieu Vandekerckhove from Amenra, and Igor Cavalera from Sepultura. Anybody that is even remotely into post or sludge metal already knows how significant this album is, but the result doesn’t feel super-groupy, it feels like an individual piece, and it’s absolutely colossal, I love it.

Animals as Leaders – Have you ever seen a really difficult math problem and your brain just starts tripping over itself trying to figure things out? Like there are too many numbers and variables floating around in your head that your mind short circuits and you’re further away from the answer than you were when you started? This is what the music version of that is.

Singles/Albums – Northlane (Nu-Metalcore), Bodysnatcher (Deathcore), Bury Tomorrow (Metalcore), Dayseeker (Metalcore), ten56 (Nu-Metalcore), Ibakari (Progressive Metal/Black Metal), Windwaker (Metalcore)