In Spite Of Me – On Absence And Arson
In Spite Of Me – On Absence And Arson
Self-Released
Release Date: 23/10/2026
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
A year ago I reviewed the debut album of a solo artist who got in touch with us via email. I was intrigued by the story behind his writing, and the battles he’d fought that formed the backbone of his music. So I decided to give it a listen, and that was the single best decision I made. That album, “Blightflower” went on to become my album of 2025. The power within the lyrics moved me to tears, and the musicianship blew me away. Now, this USA Metalcore artist is back with his second album, “On Absence And Arson”. I’ve been harassing him for months to send me a copy once it’s done, as I couldn’t wait to see where it went next. That time has come, and here I am listening to the next chapter in this inspiring artist’s life.
This comes with a warning before all else. The content within the lyrics is raw and harrowing in its reality. This is lived experience. But it’s a tale that has a happy ending. The songs are all rooted in the personal experiences of addiction and mental health issues both linked to, and preceding addiction.
Musically, from the get-go this is a frenetic, heavy, screamo Metalcore album, with hellish riffs, ridiculous pace, and a heaviness that’s even more there than the last album, I think. It feels a lot more like outward anger, and more unhinged. Like the real madness beneath the mask. But it does have clean, melancholy sections where the guitar takes some lovely solos. In Spite Of Me uses a session vocalist, Triggs, as in their own words they ‘can’t sing or scream’.
It’s progressive in its exploration of rhythm too, and the use of instruments in juxtaposition. For example, ‘No More Pretty Words’ has a beautiful lamenting violin and cello sitting behind the craziness of the guitars, rhythms and screams.
Everything about this album, as with its predecessor, speaks of the dark, lonely battles fought inside one’s own head. The craziness that you never let out. The pain of allowing any kind of conscious thought. The phrases that are held onto and examined for meaning over and over again as if they are a piece of evidence being dissected by the defence and prosecution, ad infinitum… It’s yet again, so damn clever.
There’s only one tiny thing that I didn’t like in this album and that’s the kick drum sound in the opening track when it goes machine gun style. But that’s a minute detail that’s insignificant when compared to the achievements of the rest of the album, and indeed its creator.
Another stunning instalment that made me sad, angry, melancholic, but most of all glad that Rae made it through the dark and is able to deliver such an honest narrative now, in the form of top-quality Progressive Metalcore. It’s not an easy listen when you follow along with the lyrics, but it’s absolutely worth it.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Mercy and Other Acts of Violence
02. No More Pretty Words
03. Saint of Bitter Roots
04. Two Truths and a Lie
05. The Godless Prayer
06. When Nothing is Burning
07. Hell in Disguise
LINKS:
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