Newcomers to the Art Gates Record family ABSALEM describe their sound as "modern and full of anger." There was very little information available about them on the internet, except that their genre style falls into the Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore" area, in the vein of THE AGONIST and ARCH ENEMY. "Chaosvolution" is I believe their debut album release, and contains ten tracks.

"Deceiver" is the opening track. The chugging riff is based on the open E chord, and the throaty vocals remind me of early Angela Gossow. The chorus however with the clean vocals seems oddly out of key, and the song fails to really get off the ground. The title track, "Chaosvolution," was I believe the first official video released from the album. They do a better job here of following a melody pattern and both the clean and harsh vocals make an impact. Sometimes I feel that the guitars need to offer some more variance to go along with the vocals. "Fear My Wrath" is a little quicker in pace and fervor but there is still a bit of a thin sound that doesn't cross over into enough aggression to support the style.

"Sinner" has some promise. It sets a somber mood from the start, but that nagging key issue is still present at times. The melancholy established is strong and balanced with some heavier guitar passages. "Brainshot" has that proto-typical sound you would expect from Metalcore...a fast moving riff with clean vocals in the verses and a chorus with fleshy harsh vocals and a break-down of sorts. "Coven" is the odd-length song on the album, pushing to over seven minutes. They do a good job here of some more despondent elements to go along with angrier passages where the vocals and instruments are working better together. The final few minutes are wonderful-more of this would go a long way. "The Forest" has weeping guitars at the beginning that quickly give way to a faster pace and some double bass kicks. Gina's vocals are aggressive here in the harsh realm and the rhythm is more linear.

"Over the Road" is delicate and somber, reminding me of the band OCEANS OF SLUMBER at times. Here you can pick up on some strong emotional qualities which are always a good way for a listener to connect with a song. "Burned to Ashes" ends the album on a weighted note, with some bombast along the way. Overall, considering this is the fledgling band's first release, it has some potential. But in this writer's opinion they have to find a way to thicken up those riffs, and venture out of the low E chord territory more often. Some accents and bridge passages could also add some dynamism to their sound which is lacking. There are too many bands out there today to make something that could get lost in the mix. But, with that said, they have their future ahead of them and can only get better. Check it out and keep an eye on future releases.