This post was originally published on this site
Brooding monolithic soundscapes are conjured from an eerie darkness. That is the picture outlined by the five-piece OBSIDIAN SCAPES on their crushing debut Death Chants Echo From Aphotic Void. Since 2017 the quintet have been dialling in on a doom sound taking inspiration from the swirling chthonic realms. With a DNA of funeral doom and death metal courtesy of previous projects by the current members, the Saxony based band have certainly honed their stylistic intentions to a point. Current single. Endless Sea of Dead Mirrors is serving as a prime introduction for what OBSIDIAN SCAPES are working to convey. However, the debut itself offers a much more enthralling path than one song could ever justify.
Eddying like the currents of the river Styx, The Pettiness of Life provides a suitable opening for a doomy debut. With guitars swirling and drums beating a portentous rhythm, when the track opens out into a crashing cascade of riffs and rhythms its like a pressure valve being released as the tension has been building from the very beginning. The guttural vocals are a cry of anguish before adding to the dark, tempestuous atmosphere. The combination of blackened and more traditional death metal elements helps bring the music to life. All be it in a truly menacing style.
With the opening track laying the ground work for the darkened path the band are leading down. My Utter Contempt For The Sun, quite apart from having one of the best doom titles going, ramps up the riffs. Melody is found weaving between the thunderous rhythmic delivery and while it would be wrong to call a song of this magnitude catchy. There is something held within it that gives a memorable edge to proceedings. This is a tribute to the bands songwriting capabilities that they can curate an eleven-minute track and upon reaching its peak does not feel overblown.
Dark and compelling. That’s how this album progresses. OBSIDIAN SCAPES have managed to craft five tracks that are enthralling from the first swirling note to the final crescendo of Trapped In Equilibrium. The closing of this final track is a chaotic maelstrom. A wall of sound that fades out into a void but leaves the album feeling complete. An ideal journeys end from the beguiling opening notes of the initial intro.
As a debut, Death Chants Echo From Aphotic Void is an excellent launch pad for OBSIDIAN SCAPES. Combining superb elements of death, black and doom metal they have composed five tracks of colossal weight and purpose. Fans of the genre wouldn’t be put off by the runtime of just shy of an hour. Yet new commers will be able to find many aspects to engage with. There are melodies easily accessible amidst the inexorable riffs and rhythms. As well as hugely powerful sections that will entice a baseline metal fan just looking for something different. One might say the title is a bit long to remember, but OBSIDIAN SCAPES is surely set to be a name that will reverberate around the doom scene for many years to come.
Rating: 8/10
Death Chants Echo From Aphotic Void is out now via Darkness Shall Rise Productions.
Like OBSIDIAN SCAPES on Facebook.
The post ALBUM REVIEW: Death Chants Echoes from Aphotic Void – Obsidian Scapes appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
