OneMetal.com music REVIEW:
Obscura – Omnivium

I’d like to say that this review was a little late due to being so engrossed that I lost complete track of time (though that would only be a half-truth). Obscura’s fourth album will leave you absolutely in awe of the musicians involved whilst leading you on a dark and spiritual journey into the very essence of technically proficient and all-encompassing death metal.

The album covers themes that are not the “usual” Satanic spells and earth-destroying evil hell bullshit, but instead contemplate Friedrich Schelling’s German Naturphilosophie (On Nature’s Connection to the Spirit World). Omnivium itself is a “black vortex within the universe, an immortal downward spiral annihilating all kind of matter, life and elements to create something new.” As complex as this may sound, it perfectly complements the incredible musicianship on show.

It isn’t unheard of for a death metal band to have a concept or interconnected ideas for an album, but it is a little strange for a band to put such emphasis on the lyrics considering the nature of their raw, guttural and dissonant delivery. Drummer Hannes Grossmann notes that “talking about lyrics is one of the most boring things for each death metal fan out there.” This is perhaps partly why the band have included lengthy instrumentals on the album like ‘A Transcendental Serenade’. There are few moments of downtime during the album – most notably at the record’s beginning and mid-points, with opener ‘Septuagint’ delivering a deliberately less stressful start, and ‘Prismal Dawn’ showing the band playing with moments of delicate acoustic lines reminiscent of some Opeth tracks.

However, with the more robust side of the album, Obscura masterfully weave their way through a myriad of influences from jazz and neo-classical styles, all under the banner of obvious influences such as Necrophagist and Pestilence, but with the gravity of bands such as Cynic and the raw technicality of Crytopsy. Guitars are often panned left and right, washing the listener with various intricate polyphonic solos that harmoniously blend together. On the whole this gives a very pleasing non-linear sound with enough room for bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling’s trademark fretless tone and playing style to shine though.

Obscura’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RealmOfObscura
Relapse Records: http://www.relapse.com/

Bottom Line

Deep and masterful, Obscura's incredible grasp of death metal is never better displayed than in their fourth album Omnivium.