REVERIE

"Reverie" is the debut full-length studio album by Spanish, Galicia based technical/progressive death metal act Absorbed. The album was recorded in 1999 but never officially released although the band on occasion has made the album available for free download. So this is one of those odd cases where a release date isn't 100% valid. While Absorbed released both a couple of demos and a split release with fellow Galicia based acts Dismal and Unnatural, "Reverie" is their sole album release.

The music on "Reverie" is technical/progressive death metal with references to Atheist, Cynic, and especially Sadist. This time around less technically focused and more atmospheric. While the band are generally well playing, they are still at least one level below the above mentioned acts and the same can be said about the songwriting. Taking into account that "Reverie" is a self-financed release it's still pretty decent though. The sound production isn't the most powerful but it's not terrible either.

All in all "Reverie" is a slight below standard release by Absorbed. The album features lots of promise and intriguing ideas, but the musicianship, the songwriting and the sound production do drag my rating down a bit. I don't want to be too negative about this release but I'm probably being a bit nice with a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating.