Album Review: Holding Absence – The Noble Art of Self Destruction
Reviewed by Liam True
It’s been over two years since Holding Absence released The Greatest Mistake Of My Life. And contrary to the name, it was far from their greatest mistake. Instead, it was the album that put them on the map and opened doors for them to be virtually non-stop touring since its release. The question is, what do you do after that? Enter scene; The Noble Art Of Self Destruction. The closing album in the so called ‘trilogy’ of albums exploring love, loss and ultimately embracing yourself.
Opening song Head Prison Blues screams at you from the void while cymbals and guitars are distorted until the song screams to life with its catchy chorus. A Crooked Melody employs the services of some beautiful background effects to help boost the song, but honestly, it doesn’t need them to boost it, although it does make the song sound amazing. Even though it’s only the second song, Lucas Woodland’s voice seems to have changed. Not in a massive way. But he’s not straining his voice with his higher vocal registers, almost like he’s been training his voice for this album specifically.
When you reach Scissors which is the biggest sounding song on the album by far with the guitar and drums of Scott Carey & Ashley Green respectively complimenting the booming baritone bass from Benjimen Elliott you realise, this is it. This is Holding Absence dead set on becoming the biggest & best alternative band in Britain. And with the chorus of Scissors & slower tempo combined with the acoustic guitar of Honey Moon, it’s hard to agree that they’re close to the peak of becoming the best. Death, Nonetheless goes against its namesake. A more upbeat song, but with the lyrical content darker makes for an aggressively beautiful track. Green’s drumming absolutely savages on this song in particular showing his skillset and abilities.
The album is a completely beautiful affair with a flirtatious dance on the line of The Greatest Mistake Of My Life while they’re branching off into newer territories with the additions of background synths, operatic singers & the most noticeable of all, the maturity of the album itself. The lyrical content has evolved. The instrumentals have been enhanced upon to create a bigger sounding album. And with the addition of Lucas’s voice sounding better than it ever has it brings the album together neatly and completes the trilogy with a perfect ending. If this album isn’t on end of the year lists, then people are wrong.
The Noble Art Of Self Destruction isn’t what the name tells. It’s the noble art of growing up and becoming the biggest alternative band in Britain.
