Enthroned – Obsidium (2012)

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With a feeling of 100 bricks to the face, today we have Enthroned’s latest release “Obsidium”. For the purists that feel that soul-crushing Black Metal can only come from Scandinavian countries, they are so wrong and Enthroned clearly demonstrates it on their latest release. Clocking around 40 minutes, and spawning through 9 tracks this release in one hell of a BM album that you don’t want to miss.

The first waves of powerful guitar riffing and aggressive vocals make their wave in the opener “Sepulchered within Opaque Slumber”. In this track, the band opens strong with a relentless Black Metal that does not need ridiculous amounts of tremolo-picking or overly dramatic shrieks. The music is well crafted and direct; the overall feeling is very powerful due to the hellish vocals and masterful slowdowns.

With a more typical delivery “Nonus Sacramentum – Obsidium” sounds a bit like your average BM band, but with the Enthroned seal of darkness. This track reminded us a lot of Watain thanks to the vocals and their powerful guitars. The drumming is very dynamic (courtesy of Garghuf of Nefarium), and greatly enhances the atmosphere of the track. There are some ritualistic sounding clean vocals that are very creepy, perfect for such a monumental release.

The band keeps their relentless approach through tracks like “Horns Aflame”, “Deathmoor”, and “Obvious Shades”, but it is not until “The Final Architect” that we are completely immersed into this album. This track features a very well crafted ‘melodic’ intro that is eventually enshrouded will the thick atmosphere and the overall darkness of this release.

For even more waves of melodic riffs, “Petraolevm Salvia” will satisfy your needs, just before the best song in the album “Oracle ov Void”.  In this opus, the band resorts to clean vocals, slow guitar sections and a very somber atmosphere that made us think we were listening to a Doom in some parts.

Closing with “Thy Blight Vacuum”, the band comes full circle with a very hypnotic track that nicely build’s up before the blast-beats kick in. As a whole, “Obsidium” is a truly haunting album that showcases Enthroned at the top of their game. Without sounding too cliché, the band does an excellent job in carving raw and devastating tracks that any BM fan will worship for years to come.

Band: Ethroned Album: Obsidium
Label: Agonia Records

Release: March 20th, 2012 (Europe) / April 10th, 2012 (North America)

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Black Metal

Country: Belgium

Rating: 90/100
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