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ABSOLUTE DARKNESS Returns With Third Single ‘Above The Law’ From Upcoming Album
Will power ever face consequences?
Bay Area death/thrash metal band ABSOLUTE DARKNESS has unveiled their third single, ‘Above The Law’, ahead of their second album, "Witness To A Dying World", due out on October 23, 2026. The track forms one of the album’s notable character-driven narratives, built around themes of power, corruption, and social decay.
‘Above The Law’ opens with high-speed death/thrash metal passages before developing a more dynamic structure through layered guitar harmonies and a solo from Douglas Vetter II. The track returns to its initial aggressive approach in the final section with a powerful chorus. ABSOLUTE DARKNESS guitarist and vocalist Ron Dorn describes the song as one of the tracks developed most collaboratively by the band’s current lineup:
“This is probably the most collaboratively produced song on the album. Everyone’s ideas made it into the final version, which made it one of the most enjoyable songs to write.”
The song’s lyrics are written from the perspective of someone in a position of power who feels they will never have to answer for their actions. According to Dorn, the narrator shifts the blame for his actions onto others and feels no need to conceal what he is doing because he believes he will never face the consequences.
‘Above The Law’ is the third single released from "Witness To A Dying World", following ‘Attritional Warfare’, which deals with the theme of war, and ‘Snake Oil’, which focuses on the opioid crisis. The album addresses corruption, authoritarianism, propaganda, war, addiction, homelessness, exploitation, and social decay through the stories of different characters rather than direct political commentary.
The new record also marks a significant shift in the way ABSOLUTE DARKNESS approached its songwriting. While the band’s 2021 album "Failure Of State" represented a step forward in songwriting and production, "Witness To A Dying World" will be the first release written collaboratively by the current lineup from beginning to end. Musically, the band aims to expand its blend of thrash metal, melodic death metal, and traditional death metal through harmonized guitars, melodic passages, and more dynamic arrangements.
One of the album’s eleven tracks also has a direct connection to the band’s Bay Area thrash roots. ABSOLUTE DARKNESS have included ‘World In A World’, a classic by VIO-LENCE, while remaining largely faithful to the original arrangement and adding their own production approach and heavier vocal style. Band founder Ron Dorn grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the rise of thrash metal and witnessed shows by VIO-LENCE, DEATH ANGEL, and FORBIDDEN while those bands were still in the early stages of their careers.
"Witness To A Dying World" will be released on October 23, 2026. Pre-orders for the album are also available through ABSOLUTE DARKNESS’ Bandcamp page.