The Obscene - The Torment Of Sinners
This is a debut EP, albeit at over 35 minutes in length (work that one out if you will!), from a death metal crew whom have actually evolved from Salute to the Sun. The last five songs of this EP were previously released under their former moniker in 2008 as an independent effort.
‘Embrace Oblivion’ encounters both fast US death and the slower Euro Death sprinkles of groove. As I drift from track to track I do wonder where all the lead breaks and riffs have gone, it is common for bands to go overboard with this in this sub-genre, especially with guitar compression e.g. Braindrill, but thankfully The Obscene have trained themselves on more solid ground and have not concentrated too much on these fashionable accessories. ‘Grim Misery’ stands out as mixing the old death sound with a touch of modern grind but is criminally marred by the strange mix. I don’t know what is going on with the levels, the vocals vary between both bruisers pieces and there is the drums that either sound thin or sound as if the drummer is simply bashing a cardboard box with a wooden stick.
These little annoyances aside, the music itself is thoroughly enjoyable, but please be under no illusion, there are no ground breaking moments here, this is tried and tested extreme metal with a very British sound/tone. The older tracks, such as ‘P.S.A.S’ and ‘Circle of Despair’ stand out as much more earthy, technical and organic sounding pieces of filth. The Obscene have certainly moved forward, they have become more aggressive in nature, they have embraced more variation in the vocals stakes, but unfortunately what they have gained in musical terms is let down slightly by the presentation and mix of the newer songs.
‘Embrace Oblivion’ encounters both fast US death and the slower Euro Death sprinkles of groove. As I drift from track to track I do wonder where all the lead breaks and riffs have gone, it is common for bands to go overboard with this in this sub-genre, especially with guitar compression e.g. Braindrill, but thankfully The Obscene have trained themselves on more solid ground and have not concentrated too much on these fashionable accessories. ‘Grim Misery’ stands out as mixing the old death sound with a touch of modern grind but is criminally marred by the strange mix. I don’t know what is going on with the levels, the vocals vary between both bruisers pieces and there is the drums that either sound thin or sound as if the drummer is simply bashing a cardboard box with a wooden stick.
These little annoyances aside, the music itself is thoroughly enjoyable, but please be under no illusion, there are no ground breaking moments here, this is tried and tested extreme metal with a very British sound/tone. The older tracks, such as ‘P.S.A.S’ and ‘Circle of Despair’ stand out as much more earthy, technical and organic sounding pieces of filth. The Obscene have certainly moved forward, they have become more aggressive in nature, they have embraced more variation in the vocals stakes, but unfortunately what they have gained in musical terms is let down slightly by the presentation and mix of the newer songs.
- The Storm To Come (intro)
- Embrace Oblivion
- Grim Discovery
- Beyond The Hold Of God
- Skiprat Jane
- The Final Silence
- P.S.A.S.
- Destroying The Heavens
- The Man, The Martyr
- Circle Of Despair
- And The Rivers Ran Black
