Those looking for pleasant melodies need not apply. These Germans ensure the room is cleared of everyone but dissonance diehards on opener “Eternal Quiescence,” strumming a chord so sour it knots up your insides. From there, Ingurgitating Oblivion take giant, lurching strides, shaking the earth with each rise and fall. Closer inspection unveils the death metal herk-and-jerk of Immolation, or Gorguts’ “Clouded.” The lines are gnarled and entwined; the aural equivalent of a vine choking the life out of a tree. But here’s the twist: Unlike similar purveyors who capture their performances in the deepest of caverns, Continuum Of Absence, like the band’s under-appreciated 2005 debut, is smear-free. It doesn’t hide the ugly and uncomfortable; a beautiful choice for those who are broken. –Ian [LISTEN]