apsis
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apsis

Birmingham, Alabama, United States | INDIE

Birmingham, Alabama, United States | INDIE
Band Rock Metal

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"Amazon Customer Review"

Dark haunting Vocals, powerful driving guitar riffage, songs that go from mellow and melodic to all out in an instant. This album is a great listen. - Amazon Customer Review


"Amazon Customer Review"

Dark haunting Vocals, powerful driving guitar riffage, songs that go from mellow and melodic to all out in an instant. This album is a great listen. - Amazon Customer Review


"Band to Listen to in 2008"

“UM declares Apsis the band to listen to in 2008… Birmingham, Alabama has a very dark history…. From the horrors of the Civil Rights movement to Eric Rudolph’s nefarious abortion clinic bombing to the haunted legends of Sloss Furnaces. It is, perhaps, this inauspicious influence that has lent itself to the hauntingly desperate music of the progressive art rock musings of Birmingham, Alabama four piece, apsis. “Apsis has been one of my favorite bands to listen to as well as interview. Their music is amazing. I simply can’t get enough of it. It’s haunting, thought-provoking sounds draw you in and won’t let you go. I recommend this band to anyone who appreciates rock and metal.” Angel Renee, UM Editor Purchase their cd today! Go to: http://cdbaby.com/cd/apsis”
— umjan08, Undizcovered Magazine - Undizcovered Magazine


"post-prog purveyors"

Drawing their influences from prog and post-metal purveyors Tool and ISIS, these Birmingham natives create dark, ethereal atmospheres with their continuously evolving song structures. Composition is really where apsis shines. The songs build slowly, establishing an ambient theme and repetition that progresses until reaching full thrash fervor. The majority of the songs blend seamlessly into one another producing an uninterrupted fabric on which the album is built. The only song that doesn't fit completely with the others is "Like Lovers" which also appeared on their previous release, Blood Hits the Bridle. Guitarist Nick Mitchell and drummer Steve Kirkpatrick are incredibly talented and serve to really drive the songs on this album forward. Mitchell's break-neck noodling generally underscores the heavier chord progressions, but is no less impressive for its understated presentation. Kirkpatrick, who recently replaced by Matt Wilson in the current lineup, appears fully capable of all the tricky beats and time signatures required of any prog-metal band worth its salt. The only small complaint with Only the Dead Came Home is that while lead vocalist Chip Hudson has a strong metal growl, his clean vocals on tracks like "Sirens" and "A Broken Melody" are occasionally nasally and a touch off-key on the upper-registers. This too could be said of "Like Lovers" on Blood Hits the Bridle, yet the version of that song found on this album has resolved all such issues. The rest of the tracks on this album are unaffected by this problem and, again, is only a small complaint that shouldn't deter you from this album. Metal-heads and music geeks who find pleasure in proggy time signature changes will find plenty to like about apsis. (fallingKnife music) --Southeast PERFORMER Magazine (March 2008)

Apsis in my opinion is one of the MOST under rated bands to come out of Birmingham, Alabama. The current line up consists of Nick Mitchell (guitar), Matt Wilson (drums), Ronnie del Mar (bass) and vocalist simply known as (chip). One would say they would remind the simple listener of Tool, and maybe some old-school Deftones. What you will hear is wide range of style. From emo to hard rock to straight up metal to even a little death metal, and all of this range through just one song. Their songs, even though the length of some songs can be too much for me, will keep you interested because they leave you not knowing where the direction will be going from one second to the other. Their songs, how I interpret them deals mostly with dealing with the lost of a loved one (even though I could be wrong). What makes this band stick out to me than most local bands is two simple things. It s not that the songs are catchy and can find yourself singing along which you will. It s not that their songs seem longer than most bands which they are. It s that they all get into the each song they play. Watching them and seeing their emotion they each put into each and every song. If it the songs gets heavy, they are headbanging, hair going everywhere and EVERYONE moves even the bass player Ronnie del Mar. If the song is mellow, then they don t over-do their stage presence. If the lyrics are to come across as emotional, it does seem that (chip) starts to tear up (sorry for exposing your weak side chip). If you want a band that talks for 20 minutes between songs then apsis is NOT the band for you. As soon as one song starts, they break into the next one (think of the Ramones without the 1-2-3 count). Apsis brings to the stage that I wish more bands would bring Stage presence. I know from this show, the band won my wife over with just their stage presence and she only listens to country music. Presence is not the only thing they bring to stage. Guitarists Nick Mitchell is probably one of the best if not the best guitar player I have heard in a long time. Don t get me wrong, I have heard great ones before, but their drinking before a show might hold them back. Nick doesn t drink and with this, he can completely concentrate on his playing. Even if he does make it look so damn easy. I could go on and on about apsis, but the best way to experience apsis is to go see them the next they play near you and experience it yourself. But if you want just a glimpse of their music, I highly recommend you to go to their myspace and check at least the song Sirens and After Tonight... , and Like Lovers hell, just check them all out, cause each song leaves a different emotion and impression on you. --the Birmingham Buzz - The Birmingham Buzz


"post-prog purveyors"

Drawing their influences from prog and post-metal purveyors Tool and ISIS, these Birmingham natives create dark, ethereal atmospheres with their continuously evolving song structures. Composition is really where apsis shines. The songs build slowly, establishing an ambient theme and repetition that progresses until reaching full thrash fervor. The majority of the songs blend seamlessly into one another producing an uninterrupted fabric on which the album is built. The only song that doesn't fit completely with the others is "Like Lovers" which also appeared on their previous release, Blood Hits the Bridle. Guitarist Nick Mitchell and drummer Steve Kirkpatrick are incredibly talented and serve to really drive the songs on this album forward. Mitchell's break-neck noodling generally underscores the heavier chord progressions, but is no less impressive for its understated presentation. Kirkpatrick, who recently replaced by Matt Wilson in the current lineup, appears fully capable of all the tricky beats and time signatures required of any prog-metal band worth its salt. The only small complaint with Only the Dead Came Home is that while lead vocalist Chip Hudson has a strong metal growl, his clean vocals on tracks like "Sirens" and "A Broken Melody" are occasionally nasally and a touch off-key on the upper-registers. This too could be said of "Like Lovers" on Blood Hits the Bridle, yet the version of that song found on this album has resolved all such issues. The rest of the tracks on this album are unaffected by this problem and, again, is only a small complaint that shouldn't deter you from this album. Metal-heads and music geeks who find pleasure in proggy time signature changes will find plenty to like about apsis. (fallingKnife music) --Southeast PERFORMER Magazine (March 2008)

Apsis in my opinion is one of the MOST under rated bands to come out of Birmingham, Alabama. The current line up consists of Nick Mitchell (guitar), Matt Wilson (drums), Ronnie del Mar (bass) and vocalist simply known as (chip). One would say they would remind the simple listener of Tool, and maybe some old-school Deftones. What you will hear is wide range of style. From emo to hard rock to straight up metal to even a little death metal, and all of this range through just one song. Their songs, even though the length of some songs can be too much for me, will keep you interested because they leave you not knowing where the direction will be going from one second to the other. Their songs, how I interpret them deals mostly with dealing with the lost of a loved one (even though I could be wrong). What makes this band stick out to me than most local bands is two simple things. It s not that the songs are catchy and can find yourself singing along which you will. It s not that their songs seem longer than most bands which they are. It s that they all get into the each song they play. Watching them and seeing their emotion they each put into each and every song. If it the songs gets heavy, they are headbanging, hair going everywhere and EVERYONE moves even the bass player Ronnie del Mar. If the song is mellow, then they don t over-do their stage presence. If the lyrics are to come across as emotional, it does seem that (chip) starts to tear up (sorry for exposing your weak side chip). If you want a band that talks for 20 minutes between songs then apsis is NOT the band for you. As soon as one song starts, they break into the next one (think of the Ramones without the 1-2-3 count). Apsis brings to the stage that I wish more bands would bring Stage presence. I know from this show, the band won my wife over with just their stage presence and she only listens to country music. Presence is not the only thing they bring to stage. Guitarists Nick Mitchell is probably one of the best if not the best guitar player I have heard in a long time. Don t get me wrong, I have heard great ones before, but their drinking before a show might hold them back. Nick doesn t drink and with this, he can completely concentrate on his playing. Even if he does make it look so damn easy. I could go on and on about apsis, but the best way to experience apsis is to go see them the next they play near you and experience it yourself. But if you want just a glimpse of their music, I highly recommend you to go to their myspace and check at least the song Sirens and After Tonight... , and Like Lovers hell, just check them all out, cause each song leaves a different emotion and impression on you. --the Birmingham Buzz - The Birmingham Buzz


Discography

"Whispers Rust" (2006)
Contains the song "Beautiful in Bruises" which has been featured in video footage on MALLBIRMINGHAM.COM

"Blood Hits the Bridle" (2006)
Contains the Single "Like Lovers" which has been featured on DARKTECHRADIO.COM, Birmingham's REVOLUTION RADIO, and many PodCasts since it's release.

"Only the dead came home" (2007)
Contains the songs "Sirens." and "postScript" which have been heard on indie radio stations and web broadcasts as far away as Tokyo and Australia.

"The Iliac Crest" (2008) Featuring the single "After tonight,...Everything changes" which has been featured on numerous music sites and has received accolades from GarageBand, ClearChannel Radio, MySpace and others.

"Lie Back and Think of England" (2012) Single featuring "Barry Windham" as a tasteful B-Side

"Find Me In the Future" (in producution)

Photos

Bio

Birmingham, Alabama has a very dark history…

From the horrors of the Civil Rights movement to Eric Rudolph’s nefarious abortion clinic bombing to the haunted legends of Sloss Furnaces. It is, perhaps, this inauspicious influence that has lent itself to the hauntingly desperate music of the progressive art rock musings of Birmingham, Alabama four piece, apsis.

Since Halloween of 2005 apsis have crafted their sonic mix of sludge, post rock, and alternative metal into the brooding, progressive soundscapes that can currently be heard on their newest release “The Iliac Crest”.

Intricate while retaining a minimalist approach, the band writes songs about loss, confusion and sad endings that are somehow illuminated by the faint glimmer of hope and faith. Often overlooked because of their staunch refusal to follow cookie cutter trends of so many other acts, the band infuses their songs with honesty and emotion that soon wins over even the most critical listener.