OBSCURA — Omnivium (review)

OBSCURA — Omnivium album cover Album · 2011 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
adg211288
Omnivium is the third album by German death metal band Obscura, released in 2011. The band plays death metal in its more technical and progressive form, but in a way that the aspects of brutality that a death metal band needs aren’t lost or left forgotten. In short Omnivium is an album that should appeal to both death metal fans and those of more technical metal genres such as prog.

It’s very clear right from the off that Obscura isn’t a band that is going to shy away from including more melodic sections in their otherwise extreme music, the album’s opening track, an excellent seven and a half minute piece called Septuagint, lets the listener know this right away as it starts with an acoustic intro. There are also many passages in the album where frontman Steffen Kummerer switches from his usual growl (which is top notch by the way) to some melodic cleans, which are, while not as strong as his growl, also very nice and used in the songs where they’ll fit best.

Another thing that is very clear right from the first track is that all musicians involved in the band are at the top of their game. As a band there is no weak link to be found, and with Omnivium we also get them at their very best as writers. There is not a bad track to be found on the album and as a whole it is easily one of the best death metal releases that I’ve ever heard. Personally speaking the whole death metal genre is not one that I actually connect with very often, but every now and then I do come across a band/album that has that something special that makes me sit up and pay attention. Obscura is one of those bands and Omnivium is one of those albums. I must also say that Omnivium impresses so much on first listen, that I do believe it’s also the fastest that I ever came to really love a death metal record.

Omnivium as a whole has left me rather speechless. There isn’t a single bad thing to say about it and every track is as good as the last. It’s an album where I really can’t pick favourites because I love every second of this beast. Everything from the musicianship down to the production job is pure class. The often very prominent bass work from Jeroen Paul Thesseling, which is done on six-string fretless basses only, also adds a nice touch to the album that works very well with the technical guitar work from Kummerer and fellow guitarist Christian Muenzner. In short Omnivium is an intense yet beautifully crafted journey and a true masterpiece of death metal music, and metal in general at that. What else can be said about it except to give it that ultimate seal of approval – a perfect score, and well deserved.

(Review originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)
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J-Man wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Nice review. ;-) I'm really liking the amount of 4.5's and 5's this album has been receiving here!
Time Signature wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Good review there :-)

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