It's all very well to compare yourself to genre giants such as Meshuggah, Cynic and Opeth, but few bands are capable of living up to it. Dutch hopefuls Obsidian give it a damn good attempt, striking forwards in the style of younger bands such as Scarve, Textures and Gojira. Extreme music has spread its wings and flown far since the days when the likes of Meshuggah first started, and nowadays a band has to have a unique selling point if they want to get anywhere in the business. Obsidian worship the riff, not the drawn out, Doomy Sabbath riff, but the choppy, fast and repetitive chug-a-lug that many a modern Metal band uses as a base upon which to build their individual sound.
So far, if you're up to date enough to know what any of the aforementioned bands sound like, you’ll know Obsidian's sound, but the band anticipated this and has thrown in a few curveballs to keep you on your toes. A basic neo-Thrash riffarama such as album opener "Footprints" is elevated by sudden time signature shifts and odd bursts of melody, before flowing into near Post-Black atmospherics that end far too soon despite the song being over five minutes long. A couple of songs, such as the late-Enslaved styled "Kobalt" features clean vocals, pleasingly not relegated to an artificial chorus as most Metalcore bands would, but closer to the start of the song.
"Vapours" sounds like the band persuaded Carcass legend Jeff Walker to provide vocals, whilst the end section of "Mirrored" touches pastoral Folk territory. What's amazing is how effortlessly it blends together you could have this on in the background and casually dismiss it as another wannabe clone - you're never aware of these moments unless you listen out for them, making this a rewarding trip primarily for those who are dedicated to heavy music. Some of the more epic instrumental passages, such as on the title track, sound better than the band’s influences, such is the skill at work here.
This will definitely appeal to a certain type of fan, unafraid of heaviness but in search for something a little more cerebral than the usual grunt 'n' blast. If you’re one of those few who enjoy having to listen to an album more than once, then this one's for you.
Zadok Day Rated 88* (Highly Recommended)
http://www.blastwave.co.uk
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