ABSU Sun Of Tiphareth CD (1995)

1995. The second wave is at full howl, Norway is burning, and Absu are in Texas doing something entirely their own. Sun of Tiphareth is where the Kabbalistic obsession deepens and the songwriting sharpens into something genuinely ferocious.

The Tiphareth of the title is a sephirot on the Tree of Life, which tells you everything you need to know about how seriously Absu took their conceptual framework. But don't let the mysticism fool you, this record absolutely rips. The black/thrash attack is tighter than on Barathrum, the production has more bite, and tracks like the title piece show a band in full command of their chaotic, mythology-drenched vision. This is cult Texas metal at its peak, the kind of album that still gets whispered about in the right circles.

CD, 1995. Standard jewel case.

Fans of: Gospel of the Horns, Archgoat, Aura Noir, Necromantia, Inquisition