Absolva - Flames of Justice

Absolva Flames of Justice cover
Absolva
Flames of Justice
Rocksector Records
2012
6.5
A rather “odd” incident led to the creation of Absolva. Their original bassist Luke Appleton was chosen by Iced Earth to join them, so his band Fury UK had to be put on ice for a while. That made Luke’s brother, the vocalist/guitarist, Chris Appleton to form another band along with the drummer Martin McNee. That was the wisest choice they could have made… instead of sitting and waiting what there was gonna be with Fury UK in the future. Afterwards, they were joined by the guitarist Tom Atkinson (Vice) & the bassist Dan Bate (Point Blank Fury).
 
Absolva play pure heavy/thrash metal music… in the vein of the 80s, but with an updated & fresh sound. Having been influenced by great acts like Megadeth, Metallica, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy & Maiden among others… they have also added their own touches to the final result. Being a big Megadeth fan myself, I was overwhelmed at first but as I kept on listening the comparisons were too many for me to handle. They are great players and their music has a heavy/lively vibe but the aforementioned bands and especially Megadeth were all over my head all the way through. Moreover, what were they thinking when they chose to make a video for the weakest tune of the album?! Who & why did that? There are quite a few strong tracks to choose from.
 
All in all, the guys have followed the heavy-trash metal path of the 80s but they have made it more melodic & up-to-date. Heavy riffs, solid twin lead guitar harmonies, fast rhythms & powerful sound. “Flames of Justice” is a fairly good album with tasteful tunes. We need bands like Absolva and albums like “Flames of Justice” for they do display that there’s a link between the past and the future of metal music. They just need to go a step further and make their sound more personal…