Posts Tagged ‘asva’

Album of the day: Asva – Presences of Absences

Posted on Monday, January 16th, 2012

Lovingly pinched from Lurker: Constant progression has been the implicit premise behind Stuart Dahlquist’s brainchild since its beginning, back when it was barely transitioning from Burning Witch’s ashes. The metal roots were definitely there, but even at that point (with the Caprichos / Rift Cannon Dreams split) there was something different at play when compared to the other bands in its genre back then: the cathartis, the tension and the deepest attention to the most minimal arrangements. Seven years later, with three LPs in their back catalog, Asva is still a fine example of progress within experimental metal.

It doesn’t seem accidental that Toby Driver decided to take part in this project, at a moment when the band decided to take a step further in their experimental output: Kayo Dot did a similar thing last year with Coyote, stripping the band of what little metal influence it had left and delving into straight-up jazz, displaying traits of what they had in mind since Choirs of The Eye. It seems the Asva folks were just waiting for the right opportunity to take a similar leap, slowly cooking for three years what could be considered their most daring effort to date, Presences of Absences. A collaboration made in heaven.