"..."In Absence", the debut EP from Hespera, was written by guitarists Cole Martinez and Matt Silac, who you most likely aren’t familiar with (although Martinez has done some production work for Whitechapel, Aborted and System Divide)… but it sure sounds a whole lot like Soilwork! A big part of that is because the vocalist on the record is none other than Björn “Speed” Strid himself. Would we be referencing Soilwork if Strid wasn’t singing here? Hard to know, although I’d venture to say “yes” — the music on its own its that good. Speed sounds great here, as does the band, and the result is very, very Soilwork-y.
....If all of the above seems like a knock, please don’t take it that way: we’re digging the absolute ever-loving crap out of In Absence!"
- Metal Sucks