by Alan K. StoutMusic Columnist
When talking to Mark Wojtkiewicz of the band Absolution, one can feel a sense of momentum. The powerful, heavy and melodic modern-rock band — which released its second CD, “Theory of Existence,” early this year — is already working on its third, and Wojtkiewicz says it is a group that is driven and focused on moving forward. He adds that “Theory of Existence,” the follow-up to 2008’s “Surfacing” CD, served as a natural progression for the band.
“A lot of the vocals are more intense, and the songs are deeper,” he says. “They tell a better story. I think we’ve been able to craft the album well, and we all worked together to write it. I think we’ve all grown with our instruments and into the Absolution sound. From the last record, there’s more emotion, and it’s tighter.”
Joining Wojtkiewicz in the band is Jay Green on guitars and vocals, Brian McDonald on bass, Tom Godin on drums and Will Perna on guitar. Perna, the group’s newest member, is a former member of Hope Fails You and Full Circle and joined Absolution earlier this summer.
Wojtkiewicz says there are several reasons why there’s such a sense of focus in the band’s camp these days, and one of those reasons is an important decision he made in his life: he quit drinking, cold turkey.
“It’s mainly due to just gaining a little bit more wisdom with age,” he says. “When I first turned 21 and started drinking, just socially, I looked at other people that were angry drunks and mean drunks, and drank everyday, and I said, ‘I never want to be that way,’ but I started to walk down that road. Luckily, I was one of the few that could just switch it off like a switch and say ‘This is not where I want to go, at all.”
Wojtkiewicz says he was impressed with how Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin, in a recent interview with the Weekender, talked so openly about his battles with alcohol. He’s clearly decided to do the same and says such experiences and feelings have even inspired some of his songs, including a new track, “Dry County,” which will appear on the band’s next album.
“It’s nothing I want to hide,” he says. “It’s who I am.”
The new album, like its predecessor, is being recorded at The Barber Shop Studios in Lake Hopatcong, N.J. It is the same studio used by Breaking Benjamin and former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams. Freddie Fabbri, who once helped manage Breaking Benjamin, continues to work with Absolution. Wojtkiewicz says pre-production for all of the new songs is completed, and nearly all of the lyrics are written.
Absolution, formed in 2005, has tweaked not only its lineup over the years but also its attitude. That, says Wojtkiewicz, is yet another reason for the sense of drive, focus and teamwork within the band.
“It’s still fun, but we treat it like a business,” he says. “This is what we all dreamed about. Not for fame and the girls and all of that. It’s more about ‘This is my job. This what I do to pay my bills and survive, and it’s still fun.’ We have fights all the time, but nobody says, ‘Screw this. I’m out of here,’ and actually quits. We need each other, so we sit and hack it out. We come to an agreement.”
Wojtkiewicz says that songwriting within the band remains a full collaborative effort, and that all of the group’s collective influences can have an impact on its sound. Those favorites include Disturbed, Pantera, Rush, Slipknot, Sevendust, Korn, Killswitch Engage, Nonpoint, 12 Stones, Limp Bizkit, Straight Line Stitch and even some hip-hop.
“Theory of Existence” is available at Gallery of Sound stores, Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes.
On Friday, the band will perform at Rock Star’s in Hanover Twp. Wojtkiewicz says hard-rock fans can expect to see the same intensity on stage that can be found on the group’s recordings.
“It’s very energetic,” he says. “There’s lots of emotion.”
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Absolution, Friday, Nov. 13, 10 p.m., at Rock Star’s (1266 San Souci Parkway, Hanover Twp.) Info: myspace.com/noabsolution. To hear a track from Absolution’s ‘Theory of Existence’ CD, visit the online version of this story at www.theweekender.com/music.
