Obsucra – Omnivium

Before the trials and tribulations of present day, Obscura were a tight-knit group. Formed of drummer Hannes Grossmann, frontman Steffen Kummerer, guitarist extraordinaire Christian Muenzner and bass aficionado Jeroen Paul Thesseling. Now having had two key members of the band leave the line up has once again changed. Nevertheless before their departure Muenzner and Grossman left on a fantastic high note, Omnivium.

Masterfully crafted, the album is the absolute quintessence of progressive death metal, with a genre so focused on technical ability its easy to lose the listener in the myriad of time signature changes, one time only riffs and sheer complexity of the songs. Omnivium however is the complete opposite. Technical yes, but where most bands fall is accessibility. With opener “Septuagint” sounding like something composed off the back of Bach himself the element of melody is ever present throughout. Making it a gentle caress of the ears rather than the usual over complicated onslaught of technical death metal.

That doesn’t however mean that Omnivium is not heavy, the absolutely demolishing riffs of “Ocean Gateways” ensure that the listener feels minuscule over the weight of the layers of the song. What makes this album a masterpiece though is the ability to create memorable songs that you are able to distinguish clearly and easily from one another, particularly if it’s a genre as theoretically driven.  Although you may be hearing complex music the accessibility is ever present. Moving from jazz inspired solo’s in ethereal “Velocity” to the abyss welcoming “A Transcendental Serenade”. The most important thing behind this monolith of an album is that Obscura never lose sight of what defines them, utilizing all their different nigh on perfected skills whilst retaining a balance rather than turning it into a succession of showing off. The band comes together to bring something truly fantastic that any metal fan will love.

Listen to album opener Septuagint below to see if you agree!