Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Absolute

A new year is upon us, so it's time for our first Defunct Local Band Profile of 2013! As always, this monthly feature series looks at 1-2 randomly chosen defunct/inactive metal or hard rock bands from the Sault Ste. Marie area, and like in past installments, we're looking at said bands' material, history, notable events, and current whereabouts, along with some analysis on their sound. This month's band had some noticeable success in the Eastern U.P. in the late 2000s, so read on below for our first defunct profile of the new year! (Updated on May 8th, 2013)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Absolute

Genre: Hard Rock

Hometown: Pickford, Michigan

Members:

Donny Newell (Full Throttle, Monkey's Uncle, NoXcape), vocals/guitar

Ben Huyck (NoXcape, Dust N' Bones, Riot! By Night), guitar

Bill Spence (NoXcape, Riot! By Night), bass

Justin Lawless (NoXcape), drums

Audio/Video: Even with just one surviving online page, there's no shortage of media on Absolute in action, including no less than 13 videos & 6 audio covers on their MySpace page! The songs include covers of everyone from Godsmack & Seether to The Red Hot Chili Peppers & Neil Young, while the videos (mostly from regional live concerts) features a similar diversity, including covers of everyone from The Stone Temple Pilots to Sublime, so check the above links to give them a look! I also posted 3 highly-viewed songs & videos each onto our YouTube channel to help share Absolute there as well, but embedded below is Absolute's (only?) original song "Native Tongue", as filmed at The Bird circa February 2009



Info/Analysis: Absolute were one of the more prominent Eastern U.P. hard rock bands in the late 2000s, hitting numerous concert venues for just over a year between early 2008 & mid-2009. Their covers-heavy sets earned some a solid fanbase in the area, with numerous concerts at regional venues & some military locations, like Camp Grayling & the 1437th MRBC Armory in Sault Michigan. Specific details on their run are minimal, but they disbanded in the summer of 2009, although there have been some reunion rumours since. In recent years, they were succeeded by the similar sounding Riot! By Night & NoXcape, both of which shared at least two common members, but Absolute were arguably the most successful of the three! Their available recordings show a tight & melodic sound that suited their modern hard rock approach, and the guys all have clear talent, from Donny Newell's well suited edgy singing to Ben Huyck's faithful & heavy guitar riffs, but it'd have been nice to see Absolute play some older or more complex material. Hopefully the guys stay active in music in some form in the future, as their Absolute run proves they can do big things!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! So, what band is being profiled in this series next month? Our pattern for cycling between the Twin Saults takes us back to Sault Ontario next month, but through completely random selection, we'll be looking at defunct local grunge trio No Arrow, who were arguably the area's top grunge band in the mid-late 2000s! Look out for that profile on or around February 10th, and stay tuned for previews of this weekend's Sault Ontario metal/hard rock shows tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!