Metalcore titans Holding Absence have dropped another single from their eagerly awaited sophomore album, The Greatest Mistake of My Life. It follows on from the first single, “Beyond Belief”, that redefined all expectations of what a follow on of their debut, self-titled album, would sound like. They have stormed the scene since the release of their first album and it looks like their following is only getting bigger.
What gets me most about “Afterlife” is the chorus. It is insanely moreish and gets the adrenaline coursing through your veins in a way only a metalcore chorus can. You can tell how Holding Absence are the masters of their craft from the build-up used intermittently throughout the song, and how that’s contrasted with the softer moments. There is not one second that doesn’t make you want to jump around like a maniac and scream along at the top of your lungs.
The lyrics, delivered by powerhouse Lucas Woodland with such emotion, beg to tell the story of a scorned love: ‘I’ll pull those arrows from out of your back / One at a time / I know this bridge we built won’t last / But it’ll hold for at least a while.’ There are almost heavenly-sounding backing vocals throughout that are only enhanced when the insatiable, unclean vocals come into play. The bands signature haunting and melancholic sound is found amongst this anthemic, area-filling tune which only pushes the theme of the song more: ‘I lost a vital part of me / And now there’s nothing left / I dream I’ll see you in the afterlife.’