ABSENCE OF THE SACRED was incepted in January 2005, founded by Mike Priest (Guitars/Vocals). Hans (Drums/Keyboards) was the first selected member in A.O.T.S. and thus co-founding the band along with Mike.
Influenced by bands such as SODOM, SLAYER, DEATH, ATHEIST, HYPOCRISY, MASSACRA and AT THE GATES, the music took form into Death/Thrash Metal with a technical side, and progressive parts on certain songs.
They released a two-song demo entitled “Deadening The Dispirited” a month later, recorded at an SAE (School of Audio Engineering) studio. Bass duties were shared by both members as there was no bass player in the band at that time.
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED acquired a bass-player and started playing live shows in the middle of 2005, playing solely original material on stage and no cover songs. In early 2006, they entered Focal Pro Audio Solutions to record their debut album, “Atrocities That Birthed Abominations”. The recording time spread over two months due to busy schedules of the members, and was released in mid-2006. The release received positive reviews and received international airplay on radio as well as being streamed on internet radio and podcasts.
The band played all live shows as a three-piece, attaining the status as a resident band at The Gas Haus (a local club and venue) for “Heart of Darkness”, a weekly alternative-music event sponsored by Jack Daniels. The band has also emerged as a Venue Finalist in the World Battle of the Bands 2006 in Singapore, the first Extreme Metal act in the country to achieve that status in an International Band Competition.
By 2007, ABSENCE OF THE SACRED had played in over fifty local shows including local Metal Festivals, sharing the stage with acclaimed bands such as SABBAT (Japan), HEIFER (Australia) and RUDRA. Darren C. joined as a second guitar player during this time, making them a four-piece band.
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED entered Focal Pro Audio Solutions in June 2007 to record an EP titled “Promo 2007” for labels and die-hard fans. A Music Video of the song “Dawn Of A Dead Aeon” which was on the EP was filmed in late 2007 by Lux-Solis.Net, an independent graphic design/film/photography company. Due to technical difficulties, the video was only released in early 2009. The band continued playing live shows through the year and they were finally being paid for their performances, as a maturing professional band.
In early 2008, ABSENCE OF THE SACRED released their sophomore album “Era Of The Apostate” which was licensed under Vrykoblast Productions. The album was extremely well-received when it came out, and gained many new fans for the band. Mike K joined the band as a bassist (replacing the previous bassist) before the recording took place of the album, and played a key role in its production. 2008 also marks the first overseas shows the band played, namely Chiang Mai (headlining Boomerstorm Festival) and Bangkok (opening for acclaimed Japanese Death Metal bands DEFILED and HYDROPHOBIA).
In early 2009, Hans (Drums/Keyboards) left the band due to musical differences and Vijesh from OSHIEGO was recruited as a live session drummer for the band. A third album titled “Come Hither O Herald Of Death” is currently in the works, with Kevin Talley (DAATH/ex-DYING FETUS/ex-CHIMAIRA) behind the drum throne.
The current line-up for ABSENCE OF THE SACRED is as follows:
Mike Priest - Guitars/Vocals/Samples (ex-IMPIETY)
Darren C. – Guitars/Live Backing Vocals
Mike Kalember – Bass Guitars (ex-RAVENBITCH)
Kevin Talley – Drums on “Come Hither O Herald Of Death” (DAATH)
Vijesh – Live Drums (OSHIEGO)
Please read the ABSENCE OF THE SACRED myspace blog for the latest news on the band and do check the Shows section to see if they will be playing near your city.
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED "DAWN OF A DEAD AEON" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO (2007)
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED HEADLINING BOOMERSTORM FESTIVAL (CHIANG MAI, THAILAND) 2008
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED LIVE AT DXO (SINGAPORE) 2008
ABSENCE OF THE SACRED LIVE AT THE GAS HAUS (SINGAPORE) 2006
REVIEWS OF "ERA OF THE APOSTATE (2008)" BEING UPDATED! "Beware, THEY are back! Two years after their first album called Atrocities That Birthed Abominations (reviewed in Yargla), warriors from Singapore Absence Of The Sacred are back with this second release called Era Of The Apostate. The artwork made by Mike Priest (vocals and guitar) is really well done and the booklet is really great. At the first listening of this album, it appears more brutal and more ‘straight to face’ than their first stuff. Especially in the riffs who are more aggressive." - Yargla Webzine (France)
"The harbingers of modern death are back with their second full length production, Era of the Apostate! Released by Vrykoblast Productions, the album opens with an intro track, Anno Domini, which leads into the title track. When the title track kicks in, the album takes off and the listener falls into a frenzy of lightning-fast riffs, intense musical arrangements and brutal growls. Era of the Apostate, the album, is a tale and a warning, a revelation and a mystery, a bold confrontation and a screeching proclamation all at once." - Live Magazine (Singapore)
"For a change, maybe for this review, it’s best to reveal the verdict first. Absence of the Sacred rendered good quality music in “Era of the Apostate”. Anyone will be completely appreciative of the band’s talent as manifested in the album, but maybe not many will be so enthusiastic to list down praises for it." - Kate Topacio/Archaic Magazine (US)
"AOTS may not be a huge name in Extreme Metal, but they have certainly proved that they should be.
Every part of this album seems to have been set to reach it's optimum potential. Nothing has been left to chance and each tempo change, each vocal and each melody has, in my opinion, been meticulously planned to give the listener the best listening experience possible. With that said, the album still manages to give off an air of spontaneity - and remains fresh and exciting no matter how many times I've listened to it." - Lou/Loucifer Speaks Webzine (UK)
"Rather than merely reproduce or replicate the musical leanings of prior material Absence Of The Sacred this time around have woven in some different elements whilst still managing to maintain their core sound.
Therefore we have nine pieces (one half minute intro and eight complete tracks, one of these a cover version) spanning the whole disc to a length just in excess of half an hour, a mingling of high end technical melody with a sonic surge of savagery." - Jamie Goforth/Black Belle Webzine (Australia)
"ERA OF THE APOSTATE is sometimes, but often not too far reaching toward Death and Black Metal elements. The work is principally dynamic, middling-fast and melodious." – Atmospheric Magazine (Poland)
REVIEWS OF "ATROCITIES THAT BIRTHED ABOMINATIONS (2006)" "Absence Of The Sacred is a multi-national band, based in Singapore but consisting of members from Indonesia and the US as well as Singapore. Their style straddles the line between death and thrash metal, as the vocals are clearly in the death camp but the music sometimes sides toward traditional thrash in addition to some nice death riffing. The production is fine with a few rough edges, which is a good thing given the current trend toward pristine ProTools production jobs. This is a band worth checking out, as they manage to inject a touch of originality into the songs without losing focus." - Brian Russ/BNRMetal.Com (US)
"This album has been the soundtrack to my journeys to and from work this week and I can't tell you how awesome it is to find a Death Metal album that makes me just want to hit the repeat button and keep it playing for as long as possible." - Lou/Loucifer Speaks Webzine (UK)
"As a first up release ‘Atrocities That Birthed Abominations’ is pretty stunning both in a musical sense and with its intelligent and thought provoking lyrics and subject matter. One might even say it does a good job of outshining some of the tentative first releases of a couple of the acts who have undoubtedly inspired Absence Of The Sacred. Check it out, you will not regret it." - Jamie Goforth/Black Belle Webzine (Australia)
"Atrocities that Birthed Abominations sound fresh from the first track to the last. The entire album generates a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, dealing with the decline of humanity and how the world is just going down. Absence of the Sacred paints a picture of the "Abominations" that are spawned from our "Atrocities" in a chillingly effective manner, all the while escorted by the tight musicianship and sonic soundscapes." - Encyclopaedia Metallum
"Hailing from Singapore, Absence Of The Sacred proposes through this album a very good mix between Old School Death Metal, Melodic Death Thrash (like The Crown, old Dark Tranquillity...) and the whole atmosphere is tainted with a Black Metal mood. One thing that strikes during this cd is their very groovy force during all the tracks. The sound of the guitars reminds me a bit of some old Sigh...The main voice is very guttural and the first band to who we can think of is Avulsed. The album is very rich in breaks and in variations of melodies. The whole sounds very melodic but also thrashy. They give us a good revival of Death metal from the early 90s." - Yargla Webzine (France)
"The raging Death Metal formation from Singapore, a full blitzkrieg assault of lethal proportions!" - Poetry Of The Dead Label and Distro (Belgium)
A.O.T.S. OFFICIAL MYSPACE BANNER
A.O.T.S. FEATURED IN POETRY OF THE DEAD COMP. II AND III
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