Obscura

Augury – Illusive Golden Age Review

By Kronos on March 30, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, The Artisan Era, Technical Death Metal, 63 comments

“Before Beyond Creation, there was Augury. At the tail end of the 2000s, the Quebeckers were at the forefront of the proggy side of tech-death along with Anata and Obscura, and their 2009 LP Fragmentary Evidence is a too-often overlooked milestone in the genre – perhaps because so many contemporary tech death albums (Cosmogenesis, Those Whom the Gods Detest, Oracles, Everything is Fire) were just as good and bore follow-up releases. Yes, for a long time it seemed that Augury had been outright replaced by Beyond Creation, who snatched the torch of Montreal’s world-class tech death scene, but a bit shy of a decade later, here we are with Illusive Golden Age.” Back from the tech-dead.

Fragarak – A Spectral Oblivion Review

By Kronos on November 3, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Indian Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, 74 comments

“I’ll begin with what Fragarak get right. Their music is a hodgepodge of influences from Opeth, Vektor, and Obscura, two of whom are really worth being influenced by.” We don’t discuss influences with fans.

Nervecell – Past, Present… Torture Review

By Master of Muppets on August 27, 2017 in 2017, Lifeforce Records, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, United Arab Emirates Metal, Technical Death Metal, 42 comments

“Why tech-death insists on being an exercise in as many bands as possible doing the exact same thing as each other, is something that baffles. On that note, and with Beuller-approved levels of irony, let’s talk about some dudes from Dubai and what they’ve done with the genre on their third full-length, Past, Present… Torture.” Dial N for Nile, oh, and Nervecell.

Beyond Grace – Seekers Review

By Ferrous Beuller on July 10, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, English Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Self-released, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 81 comments

“If perhaps, you have had the misfortune of laboring through any of my previous reviews, you may have picked up on my shameless love of death metal. You may have also noticed I’m a little picky when it comes to that genre’s melodic side. There’s nothing insightful in my complaint – I just find a lot of it to be somewhat toothless, and death by gums is no way to go. Beyond Grace, know these tenets well, and if debut album Seekers is anything to go by, won’t be happy until we’ve all been consumed by an omnidirectional wave of death metal to bleed the brain and skin the soul.” Melodeath, camels and conquest.

Divine Element – Thaurachs of Borsu Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 19, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, I Voidhanger Records, International Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 26 comments

“Based on my review stats thus far into my AMG career, I’ve got a 66 percent chance of snagging a record featuring Spectral Lore guitarist Ayloss whenever I pull an I, Voidhanger release from the promo bin. It’s easy to see why the label is so eager to back his work; he’s one of the few black metal guitarists I can recall who possesses a unique playing style, slapping an unmistakable stamp onto pretty much every product he touches. But before he staked his claim to black metal fame with Spectral Lore, he cut his teeth on Divine Element.” Sharp teeth, sharp riffs.

Sentient Ignition – Enthroned in Gray Review

By Dr. Wvrm on May 17, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Technical Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 30 comments

“Sentient Ignition burst onto the death metal circuit one year ago, dropping a two-track demo that caught the ears of everyone from MetalSucks to Toilet Ov Hell. Mixing melody, technical skill, and progressive intent, the demo delivered a product equal parts surprise and success. Enthroned in Gray is now tasked with living up to expectations set dangerously high for a band whose career spans 15 minutes and 52 seconds.” The confidence of youth and the wankiness of tech-death.

Vale of Pnath – II [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Dr. Wvrm on January 12, 2017 in 2016, American Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Willowtip, Technical Death Metal, 52 comments

“I never thought of myself as a tech death fan. Coming from a thrash background, I never needed insane drum machine combos or faster-than-light scales to get my dander up. But after penning one tech death TYMHM this winter, I was struck by the notable divide between Dormant Ordeal and current beau Vale of Pnath.” Kronos laughs at your newbiehood.

Skin Drone – Evocation Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on June 9, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Avante Garde, Bluntface Records, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, Reviews, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, 16 comments

“Not to be confused with skindrone dot com (a website promoting “5 Proven Home Remedies for Seborrheic Dermatitis on the Scalp”), the Skin Drone of interest here turns out to be a tech-death group from Massachusetts/Arkansas. Formed by Bluntface Records founder Otto Kinzel, Skin Drone fuses traditional tech-death with blackish avante-garde—the latter flavorings being the most interesting.” Why isn’t there a band named Seborrheic?

Geryon – The Wound and the Bow Review

By Kronos on April 2, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Profound Lore Records, Progressive Death, Releases, Reviews, Death Metal, 26 comments

By now, you’ll have learned about/salivated over the prospect of Gorguts’ new EP, Pleiades’ Dust, which looms on my horizon like a shining oasis of pretense. If you’re unlucky enough not to have the privileges of an AMG staffer and still have to wait to listen to it, then boy do I have good news for you. The Obscuran prog death trend is still picking up steam and kicking up dust, now most pertinently in the form of New York two-piece Geryon. The side project of Krallice’s Nicholas McMaster and Lev Weinstein, Geryon are a band I’ve overlooked, but The Wound and the Bow struck me immediately.

Obscura – Akróasis Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 17, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, German Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 148 comments

“What now?” That’s the question Akróasis, unfairly or otherwise, is supposed to answer. Obscura in 2016 is solely within the hands of founder, guitarist, and vocalist Steffen Kummerer. With the core of the band as we knew it between Cosmic Genesis and Omnivium gone—and that’s an impressive list: Hannes Grossman on drums, Jeroen Paul Thesseling on bass, and Christian Münzner on guitars—Akróasis is a moment for a new statement of intent.