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Splendidula have been around since 2008. They put out three albums already, the usual mix of heavy doom riffs and lots of atmosphere. This new one, Absentia, came out today on Argonauta Records. It feels more personal because the band went through some rough shit, bassist Peter Chromiak died in 2022, and the band went through further personal hardships. Now it's just three of them: Joachim handling drums and additional instrumentation, Kristien on the main vocals, Guy on guitar and some backing stuff. They took all that and made six songs out of it.
"Absentia" starts the album with Tim Yatras helping on vocals. It comes in slow, heavy riffs droning along with some hazy synths, then the black metal side shows up. Kristien sings in this light, kinda fragile way that makes the whole missing-something feeling pretty easy to pick up on. "Echoes Of Quiet Remain" has Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride on it. The song goes between slower doom bits and sharper black metal parts. His voice fits in without taking over.
"Donkerte" slows way down and just lets things hang in the quiet spots. "Dalkuldar" loops some riffs and keeps this steady pull going with the atmosphere. "Kilte" is the roughest one - Kristien's high screams cut across the guitars, male growls come in, and the jumps from slow to fast feel like those random swings when you're dealing with loss. "Let It Come To An End" builds up like it's trying to move on, then everything breaks a bit and the voices mix before it fades.
The album switches between the floaty atmospheric parts, the heavy doom that pushes down, and black metal that actually bites. It has some of that Alcest dreamy thing, My Dying Bride sorrow, Amenra pressure, Sylvaine lighter moments, and Austere rawness, but it doesn't sound like they're copying. They recorded it at Kosmik Womb, mixed by Tim De Gieter, mastered by Alan Douches. You can hear the small details, a synth coming up, a voice cracking a little, but it still has weight.
The songs are long because that's how this stuff goes. It doesn't end quick. Some bits stretch out, so you need to be in the mood to really listen instead of just letting it run. The guests add a bit extra without changing what the band is saying.
Absentia is probably the most real thing Splendidula have done. It takes actual hard times and puts them into music that doesn't pretend. Not the kind of album you play while doing other stuff, you put it on when it's quiet and just sit with it. If you like atmospheric black doom that comes from somewhere true instead of just sounding dark, check it out. It won't make anything better, but it gets what it's like, and it stays in your head after it ends. Pretty good from the three in Belgium!
https://www.facebook.com/Splendidula
Thanks to Grand Sounds PR
