Since forming in 2002, the Absence has opened for a who's who of contemporary underground metal acts, including Mastodon, Nile, and Vancouver's own Strapping Young Lad. However, ask guitarist Patrick Pintavalle which headliner left lasting scars on his consciousness, and he points to the Swedish king of shredding '80s neoclassical metal.

"Yngwie Malmsteen was pretty awesome, just ridiculous," says Pintavalle, calling from his home in Tampa, Florida. "I can't even understand how the guy plays so well, because he was drinking at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and he was still drinking by the time he went on at midnight, but he was just ripping. It was like the alcohol didn't even affect him, which was kind of weird."

It's almost equally weird that this Florida-based quintet is more influenced by the '90s Swedish melodic- death-metal scene, spearheaded by Gothenburg outfits like Soilwork and In Flames, than by homegrown grunt-mongers such as Malevolent Creation and Obituary, whose grim assaults darkened the Sunshine State as early as the mid '80s.

On the Absence's new CD, the sophomore release Riders of the Plague, Pintavalle and fellow axeman Peter Joseph riff away on tracks like "World Divides" and "Awakening" with a devastating, anthemic fury that recalls Michael Amott's dark constructions in Carcass and Arch Enemy. Straightforward and catchy song structures make the raw-throated ranting of vocalist Jamie Stewart more accessible. The guitarists also trade off soaring, crystal-edged leads with a touch of Joe Satriani–esque melodic flavour on the instrumental "Prosperity."

The persistent, chugging energy here also evokes the classic Bay Area thrash movement, and that's confirmed by the band's decision to cover Testament's "Into the Pit". "We were originally planning to cover a Carcass or Death [track]," says Pintavalle. "But then 'Into the Pit' came up, and we were like, 'Wow, man, that's just a killer old-school song.' I remember riffing to that in the 9th grade, listening to it in the car. Hopefully, Testament appreciates it."

The Absence certainly appreciates what producer Jonas Kjellgren has brought to its music. Kjellgren formerly sang for Carnal Forge, and now crafts deadly licks for Scar Symmetry when he isn't producing bands at his Black Lounge Studio. The 30-year-old Swede responded quickly when Joseph contacted him via MySpace. "He wrote back, 'Dude, I love you guys, and I'd love to do something with you,'" Pintavalle recalls. "We worked it out and flew him over here. We did preproduction before he even came over here. But someone can always add something to your songs, and Jonas was perfect for that. His ideas, 98 percent of the time, were good."

Now the challenge is for the Absence to earn new fans and a little financial security as the opening act on the current Metal Blade 25th anniversary tour. "We've had some bad luck with booking agents in the past," notes Pintavalle. "It would be really cool to just do what we want, playing music, and not worrying about anything else."

The Absence plays the Croatian Cultural Centre tonight (September 20).