Obscura and Technical Death Metal

These guys just might be the new kings of tech death if you ask me. Like ive said before most tech death is too mechanical and robotic with not enough emotion. The old trio of Death, Cynic, and Atheist really had their shit together. And Obscura almost sounds like what would happen if you made a band heavily influenced by all those bands.



Listen to that song and tell me you dont hear the Death worship in there? The fretless bass is also really sweet and something I really enjoy. But the guitars themselves have the guys practically channeling Human era Death.

If only more Tech Death was like this...

Entombed - Left Hand Path

Not the album but the song, one of my favorite Swedish Death Metal songs for sure. Especially after that creepy music kicks in the soloing that goes on for a while is just wicked sounding.

The Evolution of the ongoing Bolt Thrower Song

So on just about every Bolt Thrower album there is a song that follows a certain template. This began with the song World Eater on Realm of Chaos. Its mostly the intro/outro riff which is a chug chug skull crushing monster that after the intro leads into the song proper. At the end of the song (most anyways) the band breaks from the song back into that riff and play it while the song fades out.

I thought it would be cool to put all the songs in chronological order so here we go!

World Eater - Realm of Chaos - 1989


Cenotaph - War Master - 1991


Embers - The IVth Crusade - 1992


Powder Burns - Mercenary - 1998


The Killchain - Those Once Loyal - 2005


There you have it!

New Music

So I went to Hastings today and got some new music. I got 3 albums by themselves.

Between the Buried And Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
Obscura - Omnivium
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

And I got two cd set like thingies. The first is a Napalm Death set released by Earache Records of the band's last 3 releases on the label. So it comes with the albums Inside the Torn Apart, Words From the Exit Wound, and the EP Breed To Breathe.

Then the second thing I bought was an Opeth release that includes their first 3 albums. This one is called The Candlelight Years and has the albums Orchid, Morningrise, and My Arms Your Hearse.

So in all about 9 albums/EPs for around 70 bucks. Not too bad! I love the new Obscura and have been looking forward to BtBaM's new stuff along with Dillinger. I've been pretty interested in checking out Opeth's progressive death metal and since Mike Akerfeldt did guest vocals/guitar on quite a bit of Edge of Sanity's stuff I though I'd check it out. Most people seem to hold the band in pretty high regard anyways.

And Napalm Death...well its Napalm Death! I'm a big fan of Scum but never really listened any further than From Enslavement to Obliteration besides randomly downloading Smear Campaign.

Some of the stuff I had in my hands but decided not to get were:

Carcass - Necroticism (I want a physical copy of this!)
Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (not as interested in their Goregrind stuff but still would like to have it)
Still Remains - Of Love and Lunacy
Shadows Fall - Threads of Life
Shadows Fall - Fallout From the War

I also came really close to getting the new Hate Eternal album.

Review: Rotting Christ - Aealo

Band: Rotting Christ
Album: Aealo
Year: 2010
Genre: Melodic Black Metal

I can understand why the name Rotting Christ would be off putting to most. But you would have to hear Aealo in order to really appreciate what this Greek band has to offer. Put the name aside and let your ears do the judging!

This album has been my introduction to the band and it has been a great one. Starting off with the track of the same name, Aealo, you can hear how the band melds the music of their homeland into their interesting style of melodic black metal. As you listen to the track you are greeted with women wailing and an almost tribal chant near the end.

These different chants and the female vocals do a lot to submerge the listener into the Greek culture RC injects pretty heavily into the songs. I also really enjoy how the Greek language is used at times it adds more to the atmosphere. Especially in the start of Demonon Vrosis.

There might be one glaring problem with this album though: a lot of it sounds the same. But it might be a problem and it might not. For me it definitely isn’t an issue. You can notice it sounds a little samey but its so enjoyable that I easily forgive the band and I don’t mind hearing these riffs repeated in different ways or chanting recycled.

The only other place where the band seems to stumble is the cover song Orders From the Dead which is the last track on the album. It is a long boring affair where some woman basically rambles on about the end of the world or something to that affect for 9 minutes. She actually sounds like the woman who plays the character of Artemis on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia haha.

Whoever wrote the guitar riffs did a superb job. Like I said earlier they can sound the same at times but I think there is just enough difference that you can appreciate how catchy and headbangable they are. They are never really thrashy and stay at about a mid pace. They actually sound kind of mechanical at times being very precise.

The vocalist is pretty unique, at least to my ears. His screams are a kind of higher pitch and throaty. He doesn’t usually go too high with them but you can tell when he is trying and overall while his voice isn’t too impressive it serves its purpose and I can’t find any fault with it.

Aealo is a really great album drenched heavily in an ancient Greek atmosphere. The riffs and vocal lines are a joy to listen to and are sure to make you give this one many spins. The last track is really the only misstep that mars an otherwise pleasurable listen.

Score: 8/10
Standout Track: Aealo, Eon Aenaos, Demonon Vrosis, Noctis Era…pretty much anything but Orders From the Dead!