We admittedly know very little about them here in the office (sorry, fellas), but, in black metal circles, it seems Plano-based black metal band ABSU are nothing to shake a stick at. Hell, some might even call them "pioneers" of the genre. Some, including Pitchfork to be precise, which, early last month, interviewed the band in anticipation of its new, self-titled full-length.

And yesterday, the site took to the task of reviewing the disk--and, turns out, it very much liked what it heard, giving the disc an 8.2 rating on its 10-point scale and lauding the disc for its density, immensity and melody.

Writes reviewer Grayson Currin:

The action comes in sustained waves, and each time it feels as if Absu's energy has peaked, the trio ratchets the intensity higher still. Four minutes into "Ye Uttuku Spells", for instance, Proscriptor bellows "Ye Absu rage" above a steady holding pattern. The proclamation is laughable in its redundancy, as Absu have done nothing if not rage for the prior 50 minutes. The last words of the album's last verse, they suggest a captain finally cracking as he leads his men into one last battle. And sure enough, Absu unleash behind Proscriptor's request, a piercing guitar solo peeling from the double-bass drum gallop and the tide of distortion in the middle. It's a perfect last stand, and an unabashedly arrogant close to an album that deserves nothing less.

High praise for sure. Which makes us all the more intrigued. Maybe we'll catch the band when it stops back into town after its current nationwide tour. Currently, the band's Myspace page says it's next Dallas gig is on July 29 at Trees. We'll see if that happens, though--Trees is set to re-open, yes; just probably not until August 14. Either way, a pretty interesting start to Trees' promised wide booking range under its new management.