Written: 7th July 2024
Over the last seven years, Obscene has built a reputation for music that is both aggressive and belligerent. Their full-length debut was a violent slab of old school death metal, while their second album ….From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon adopted a slightly more nuanced approach that found favour with many. Aiming to build upon this sound but maintaining all of their inherent vehemence, Agony and Wounds is set for release on 12th July.
Following a haunting introduction, the opening track - The Cloverland Panopticon – ignites and Obscene make it clear that they are here to annihilate. With a raw, unyielding brutality, the track bludgeons with a barrage of blast beats, viscerally violent vocals and guitar work from Mike Morgan that is precisely delivered slicing through the chaos. This continues on Watch Me When I Kill, which is a two-minute assault of twisted, unrelenting darkness.
Second single from the album Breathe The Decay begins with an ominous spoken word warning. “There is a storm coming like nothing you have ever seen and not a one of you is prepared for it.” The track then plunges into a maelstrom of double bass drumming and razor-sharp guitar riffs and displays the more technical aspects of the band. Commenting on the track, the band state, “Lyrically, it's about a vagabond wreaking death everywhere they venture ala the Saint of Killers from Preacher; not specifically about him, but he was an inspiration when writing the song. We all breathe the decay in the end.” A slow mid-section demonstrates the variety that, in several places, raises its head on Agony and Wounds. Kyle Shaw’s tormented gutturals pull us deeper into the abyss and in the last minute of the track, all hell breaks loose. Screaming rapid guitar solos, Roy Hayes colossal bass lines and some utterly incredible drumming from Brandon Howe, snarl and rasp with a seemingly endless supply of venom. The introduction of Noxious Expulsion gives the listener chance to catch their breath but this moment of relative calm is short lived.
Death’s Denial is another track offering variety, rampaging with a stomping groove that threatens to destroy anything in its path, interspersed with sludge like moments. One of the standout tracks – Written in Blood and Covered in Flies – exemplifies the bands use of both brutality and expansiveness. The mid-section of the track features a dark but melodic guitar solo that soars above the carnage, providing a brief respite. During the final minute of the track, the band slow the tempo and the instruments gradually fall away, leaving the disturbing sound of swarming flies.
Previously released The Reaper’s Blessing is bone crunchingly heavy and as the tempo rises and falls during the track, the riffs attack in waves. Obscene comment, “With every release, we remain true to our core tenets while expanding death’s valley. The climax for this track is far and away the most intense in our catalogue. Brandon really pushed himself on this one.” Rotting Behind The Madness, Dressed in Corpses and Oceans of Rot continue to develop the intricate interplay between each instrument throughout even the most chaotic moments.
Ending the album with the title track, Obscene serve up something unexpected. Hauntingly melancholic piano is soon joined by steady doom-laden guitar riffs. As the track progresses, the riffs intensify as Agony and Wounds develops into a turbulent and gruesome track, during which Obscene manage to balance their trademark aggression with moments of surprising subtlety. Clocking in at almost six minutes, it features clean guitar passages and atmospheric piano that create a sense of eerie calm. It's a testament to the band's growth as musicians that they can incorporate such elements without sacrificing any of their intensity. The final two and half minutes sees Morgan – over the ominous piano motif – play a spectacular lengthy guitar solo that veers from terrifying to eerie to savage. Agony and Wounds closes with a spoken word section from the 1964 film The Masque of Red Death. It is a quite chilling conclusion.
Agony and Wounds is a triumph for Obscene, showcasing a band that are confident in their direction, their song writing and their overall sound. While musically the album will appeal to a plethora of death metal fans, some may still find the vocals to be an acquired taste. Kyle Shaw’s delivery resides somewhere between the buzz of a circular saw, the agonised gasps of tortured screams and a madmen possessed by a deranged demon. Nevertheless, it is an album that will satisfy long-term fans, while also attracting new listeners due to its increased musical complexity and thematic depth. Obscene has managed to evolve their sound without losing any of the raw intensity that first made them a force to be reckoned with. Violent, volatile and unforgiving.
Agony and Wounds is released on 12th July 2024.
For Fans Of: Asphyx, early-At The Gates, Brutality, Morgoth, Sinister, Gorefest, Morta Skuld, Autopsy
Obscene online
コメント