UMUR
"Lost In violence" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Essence. The album was released in February 2011 by Ultimhate Records.
Essence play are very effective and powerful thrash metal on "Lost In violence". It´s not wildly original but these guys know how to write a thrash metal song which packs some punch. The tracks are mostly mid- to fast paced. The vocals by lead vocalist/ guitarist Lasse Skov are raw and suits the music perfectly. While "Lost In violence" certainly is hard edged and raw when it needs to be, Essence succeed very well in incorporating melodic guitar themes (take a listen to the wonderfully melodic "Shades of Black") and hook laden "sing along" choruses to make the album a memorable listen. In fact it didn´t take me more than a few spins before I was able to remember all tracks on the album. While the music on "Lost In violence" is predominantly US inspired thrash metal it´s actually fellow Danes Artillery that Essence reminds me about the most. The flair for writing memorable thrash metal tunes with a strong melodic element is something the two acts share.
The musicianship is generally very solid. It´s nice to hear that the bass are given a lot of room in the soundscape and several times plays short sections alone. Take a listen to the opening minutes of "Blood Culture" to see what I mean. It has a kind of "clicky" sound to it, that took some getting used to, but now I think the bass sound suits the songs well.
"Lost In violence" is generally a very strong debut album by Essence. Great musicianship, professional and powerful sound production and maybe most importantly great memorable songwriting. A 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.