|
 |
|
|
 |
Tracklist
01. In the End
02. The Redemption
03. Guardian Angel
04. First Degree Suicide
05. A Wasteland
06. Light from Above
07. Blinded by Love
08. Dead Calm Surface
09. 170603 (Memoir)
|
Obscurant came into existence in late 2000 as a solo-project of Luukkainen. Those not familiar with the Finish Black metal scene might ask: who exactly is Luukkainen and why is he worthy of a solo project? Luukkainen (who apparently only goes by one name) is an ex-member of six other Finish Black metal bands, all of which are still actively making music and half of which are on the same label as Obscurant (Woodcut records). This by far qualifies Luukkainen for a solo project and one would expect good things from him based on this kind of experience and Luukkainen does not disappoint.
When looking at all of Luukkainen's former bands one sees a lot of black metal staples: white face paint, spikes and fake blood (sounds like a Kiss concert). But one of his former bands stands out from the rest in that it plays death metal and sports regular clothing and this is a group called Sotajumala. This bit of non-black metal influence is evident in Obscurant's music and image. For example, looking at the back of Obscurant's latest CD 'First Degree Suicide' one sees a very grainy and dark picture of a bunch of guys in normal clothes. This would be a good summation of the paradox that is Obscurant: grainy and dark black metal with a little less make up and a little more jeans and T-shirts. Luukkainen is open-minded enough to stray somewhat from the standard black metal costume and sound without losing the better elements of what makes black metal good.
Some compare Obscurant's sound to Hypocrisy's due to their use of massive guitar walls, simpler song-structures, melodic keyboards and occasional operatic vocals. Obscurant is definitely not doing anything completely new, many black metal bands were born from death metal, but that does not take away from the fact that it sounds great. On 'First Degree Suicide', Obscurant's second release, it has developed a perfectly executed blend of death metal shredding, blast beats and gothic melodies. Track two, 'The Redemption', is epic, heavy, and moving. This is accomplished through intense song build up; the music is played faster and faster, with layers upon layers building up to a final symphonic climax. Most of the songs are like this and fans who like their extreme metal a little symphonic will eat it up. The growling vocals are more prominent than the operatic ones but they do not distract from the melody. This is because they are not mixed louder than the music which many black metal band tend to do. The entire mix is very even without any one instrument overpowering another, even during lead breaks, giving all of the instruments their perfect place in the song. Though they only have two releases thus far, Obscurant is one of the better symphonic black metal bands out there today and definitely deserves a listen from all metal fans alike.
Review by: Colette Claire
Read Member Reviews
|
|
|
