After two years of hard work and dedication, HOLDING ABSENCE release their self-titled debut on March 8 ,2019, on Sharptone records. The band focuses on love and the emotional roller-coaster of any relationship. The band understands the darkness and the sentiments the emotion gives. Even becoming a trio after a member left, the band fought on with the writing of the album. The struggles of life will be sure to felt on this album. With a full band on hand, will these guys live up to the hype they have created? Let's have a listen and see what their battle has become.

"Perish" begins with some spacey synth work. It allows you to travel into the song at a slow pace. The song goes into hyperspace as the musicians display their universe. The vocals clean and clear during the verse, but as the chorus hits, the screams come forward. They already remind me of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, which isn't a bad thing. There are just more clean vocals here. "Like A Shadow" starts acapella but shortly kicks into its fury. The song reminds me instantly of CHIODOS, with the heavy riffs. The synth adds another depth as the vocalist screams "Just stay a little longer." The love song is wonderfully mastered. The drums are heard at just the right tones while the synth adds that different element to elevate the vocals. "You Are Everything" is another heart pounding love song. The drums and synth seem to overstep their boundaries here. They drown out the soft vocals but the screams fit very well within the pounding beats as the synth still stays strong as well. The guitar play comes through but are still held under the weight of everything else. "To Fall Asleep" starts with a tribal drum intro, but falls quickly to the sounds of the synth and drums again. The guitar doesn't come in until the chorus but is mixed well.

They have more of an UNDEROATH sound in this song, but lyrically is great. With lines like, "I carry this cross alone" and "I would ask you to hold my hands, But they are worn to the bone" take the song upwards. "Purge" is the shortest song of the album at just over two minutes. You think it is an instrumental until halfway through, a soft voice speaks as if from Heaven. It is a beautiful interlude before "Wilt" begins. It as well, starts with soft synth and keys that gives off an astronomic feel. The soft beats of the drums ease you into the guitars. The vocals are as soft as the music until the screams of "Hold me now for a little bit, Burn it down, Get it over with" light the song into a different frame of mind. "Could you fade away, Just as quickly as you came" is as powerful of line that I have ever heard in such a heartbreaking song. You can feel the emotions really put into writing the song and that in itself, is Heavenly.

HOLDING ABSENCE are a really great band. Although there are some issues within a few songs, the album has very rich music and is only enhanced by the lyrics it contains. I can see future endeavors being successful as they grow more with time. The emotion they place into each and every song prove they could be a force to be reckoned with in the future. I would definitely recommend this band to at least take a chance on a listen. If you enjoy bands Like THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, UNDEROATH, and others, then you will really like these guys.