Obliteration - Black Death Horizon (2013)

Country: Norway
Genre: Black/Death Metal

Don't let yourself be fooled by the chaotic and undistinguishable cover art (the logo deserves the same adjectives) from the third full length by these Norwegians. It kicks off with "The Distant Sun", a very progressive track, slow and dense in the beginning, which effectively unleashes its power in a  energetic and neck-breaking mid-section. "Goat Skull Crown" hits you in second place, and waits no time providing a healthy dose of speedy black/death metal. I would like to comment on two musical elements, which also need to be praised in this effort: the vocals and the drums. Vocals sound so desperate and haunting, emotional at the same time. It's like the voice of someone escaping death, like someone begging for mercy from its victimiser. Another remarkable feature in the vocal department is a suitable mix: not too much on the foreground, not too much on the background, the listening experience is full and plentiful. I don't take for granted what some personalities say about some releases, because one can become incorrectly biased by compromised statements. However, before listening to this album I had the chance of reading what Fenriz, of Darkthrone-fame, had said about it. He said the record to be "organic", but this term has become so void and overused because in most of the so-called organic albums you just find that there's nothing really special about them. I was wrong and can tell you this is pretty much the first real "organic" sounding metal release that I have heard lately. Mics were probably used in a different way, but let me tell you, the drums have a primitive sound whilst the arrangements are tight and ugly-precise so you have this delightful final product which embodies both ugliness and beauty in a single artistic expression. I forgot to say that another of the important actors in this act is the sound of the bass. The bass has this rich and trebly metallic sound which fights and counteracts against the guitars. They don't provide the rhythmic foundations but instead, they continuously defy the guitars, like preventing them from becoming more important at any stage of the musical experience. In overall, this release should keep you full of ugly energy and wait for another Obliteration to be released in the future. I don't like to talk the future, but this band will be huge someday... Just saying.

ngx981

Download:

http://goo.gl/lC2I8A