[avatar user=”James” size=”50″ align=”left” /]
I’ve been following Obscura for just over 6 years now. They were one of the first metal bands that I listened to when I was first introduced to metal and as a result they have always had a special place in my listening list.
Production wise, this album is nice and crisp. Every instrument is audible and sits within in the mix nicely. Top marks to the mixing engineer for that.
Opening with “Sermon of the Seven Suns”, the album immediately kicks into overdrive after a slightly slower opening section. Featuring the growls of Steffan (Vocals and Guitar) and the superb bass playing of Linus, the song make for an enjoyable listen and is a worthy opener to the album.
Another track of particular note is the title track, “Arkoasis”. It’s one of my favourite tracks on the album simply due to how it mixes technical playing and melody so flawlessly. When I first heard the track, the new members immediately impressed me with their ability to gel so well with the music and the existing members playing. To me, this track is what a melodic tech band should sound like. Fast paced guitars and soaring bass lines along with technical drum patterns and harsh vocals.
Having a similar theme throughout all of the songs the album goes through a series of changes from song to song but still keeps the same formula. Grooving bass, technical but melodic guitar riffs, insane drum patterns and a Growling Steffan. It’s the recipe for a superb album of technicality.
Finishing the album off is the longest track I think Obscura have ever written. Opening with acoustic guitars before bringing in the drums and the bass to create a surprisingly relaxing atmosphere before the whole thing changes into the usual formula experienced on the rest of the album. It’s now my new favourite track by the band, simply because it’s a masterpiece of creative riffs and melodies. It’s also one of the more strange tracks I’ve listened to. That’s merely due to there being several strange and interesting artefacts present in the track. I’ll let you the listener discover them for yourself though.
To me, this album is a prime example of how a band has evolved since their early releases. The first few Obscura albums were very good, but they always felt as though something was missing or not gelling correctly. With this release however, the band are on their top form and have delivered a marvel which has now set the bar very high for other releases in this area of metal.
Rating: 9.5/10
Standout Tracks: Sermon of the Seven Suns, Akoasis, Weltseele.
Obscura: official | facebook | twitter | bandcamp
