AMONG THE MISSING (Cease To Exist) CD
Maybe the title from the last album of AMONG THE MISSING was a sight into the their own future, because the band broke-up soon after this second release. Personally, I believe that this is a real loss, because their filthy blend consisting of crust, thrash, sludge and doom was very refreshing and inspiring, most notably because this band was able to channelize their aggression and frustration into overwhelmingly powerful tunes. 'Cease to Exist' has been released back in 2007 thru Withered Hand Records and it's definitely more metallic hardcore punk than its predecessor. Songs like 'Knights of the Sun' and 'Trembling Before' recall the riffing of early Black Sabbath, but 'Hymn' or 'Fable' is purest crust punk. The album is saturated with energy and inspiration, and AMONG THE MISSING have the balls to confront the listener with absolutely unexpected changes and ideas. The epic title track is a genuine masterpiece of instrumental psychedelic folk rock while 'Finsbury Park' is a surprise due to the clear female vocals.
Fans of Jex Thoth should listen closely here, even if the guitar sound is more brutal and a further difference is the snotty punk attitude that transmutes the song after five minutes into something else entirely. But at the beginning there's the same mystical 60's vibe that we know from newer bands like Jex Thoth. So it makes sense that the track list is seperated into side a and side b, because the second part of the album (excepting 'Trembling Before'), featuring the aforementioned two songs, shows a complete different face of the band. But even a few of the first cuts include some surprises. The opening section of 'Mitre Square/Element of Change' is unexpectedly folk-influenced before a mighty heavy riff breaks into that elusive moment of peace and AMONG THE MISSING unleash a brutal load of viscous yet energetic doom-soaked sludge. For me personal it's just another proof for the apparent creative power and strong potential of AMONG THE MISSING. Dynamic, brutal, dark and blistering with pissed off, vitriolic vocals - this band just plain rocks. I recommend this to any fan of crustpunk, thrash, sludge and good music.
(KK)