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The bass, oh the glorious bass! Seriously though folks, this is some damn astonishing tech-death, and while the general sound is fairly comparable to Necrophagist (not suprising, as this 4-piece is made up of 2 ex-Necrophagist members), certain elements make this album even more compelling to me than the aforementioned deathsters, even at their finest. The most invigorating highlight herein are the sounds made by Jeroen Paul Thesseling (ex-Pestilence) and his 6-string bass. Too often in music, particularly metal, bassists seem content to follow the pattern of the guitar and succumb to the mediocrity of inaudibility. Jeroen takes a crap on this concept, making the bass experience on Cosmogenesis altogether unique, proving the instrument is far more versatile than the impression given off by most bands. His licks are inventive, unique, and flow with the music in ways I never conceived. This is of course not meant to downplay the rest of the musicians of Obscura, who are quite incredible in their own right. Brutally elegant is the best description I feel I could give, as the crushing nature of this beast has a strong counterpoint in the form of some Opeth-esque slowness that really opens up their sound, before bringing it all effortlessly up a notch for blistering death metal mayhem. I’ve heard much criticism of this band’s approach, and the totality of it sums up most people's problems with tech-death, in that it’s too complex for the sake of being too complex. To them I say, if you fail to find the structure here, then either you aren’t listening hard enough, or your brain simply can’t take it in, because let me assure you, the pieces fit. The music is very fast and intricate, and even for an avid stalwart of tech-death such as myself, may take repeated listens to fully appreciate. Obscura definitely has insane potential, and Cosmogenesis is in my top 5 of the year so far. Please check them out, for the sake of good taste and beauty. You’ve never heard death metal like this before, and I hope you enjoy them half as much as I do.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Anticosmic Overload |
| 2. Choir of Spirits |
| 3. Universe Momentum |
| 4. Incarnated |
| 5. Orbital Elements |
| 6. Desolate Spheres |
| 7. Infinite Rotation |
| 8. Noosphere |
| 9. Cosmogenesis |
| 10. Centric Flow |
: 50:13
| Buy other Obscura albums |
