Although this thread has been dormant for a while, I couldn't resist replying, since I have given this subject more thought than is probably healthy. I sometimes think I'd be happy getting rid of my entire metal collection and just having this album, since everything else pales in comparison.
No, I can't believe it's been 9 years. My main worry is that it will sink further into obscurity as time passes. Why haven't more bands followed in the footsteps of this masterpiece? I don't think it's lack of exposure, since most people in the extreme metal scene (that I've talked to) seem to at least know about it, although most don't understand it and many hate it. At the risk of sounding cliched, it was way ahead of its time. It has some precendents, it wasn't pulled out of thin air. I realized just recently how much it owes to Morbid Angel. But I think it trascends its influences and goes way beyond them.
Years ago I asked Kelly Shaefer from Atheist whether he thought he'd had any impact on metal, and he didn't seem to think so. I don't think he'd say the same thing now, with the current tech metal explosion that is underway. It took a few years for the scene to embrace Atheist and Cynic. I'm just hoping that the same will happen with Gorguts... Even though there are lot of jazz fusion metal bands out there, I don't think anybody except Gorguts has gone beyond Atheist and Cynic.
I think I can see some signs of Obscura's influence trickling into the scene among a handful of bands. Ephel Duath, Pillory, Psychofagist, Mare, Dichotic, Defiled, Ion Dissonance, Atheretic, Kayo Dot, The Flying Luttenbachers, Commit Suicide, Psyopus, maybe even Blut Aus Nord-- all have explored some of the same territory, although none have come close to Obscura's genius. It's interesting, I've always felt that the equivalent on the black metal side is Ved Buens Ende, and they are just beginning to have some impact, over ten years after releasing their one and only album. So, it may be just a matter of time...
No, I can't believe it's been 9 years. My main worry is that it will sink further into obscurity as time passes. Why haven't more bands followed in the footsteps of this masterpiece? I don't think it's lack of exposure, since most people in the extreme metal scene (that I've talked to) seem to at least know about it, although most don't understand it and many hate it. At the risk of sounding cliched, it was way ahead of its time. It has some precendents, it wasn't pulled out of thin air. I realized just recently how much it owes to Morbid Angel. But I think it trascends its influences and goes way beyond them.
Years ago I asked Kelly Shaefer from Atheist whether he thought he'd had any impact on metal, and he didn't seem to think so. I don't think he'd say the same thing now, with the current tech metal explosion that is underway. It took a few years for the scene to embrace Atheist and Cynic. I'm just hoping that the same will happen with Gorguts... Even though there are lot of jazz fusion metal bands out there, I don't think anybody except Gorguts has gone beyond Atheist and Cynic.
I think I can see some signs of Obscura's influence trickling into the scene among a handful of bands. Ephel Duath, Pillory, Psychofagist, Mare, Dichotic, Defiled, Ion Dissonance, Atheretic, Kayo Dot, The Flying Luttenbachers, Commit Suicide, Psyopus, maybe even Blut Aus Nord-- all have explored some of the same territory, although none have come close to Obscura's genius. It's interesting, I've always felt that the equivalent on the black metal side is Ved Buens Ende, and they are just beginning to have some impact, over ten years after releasing their one and only album. So, it may be just a matter of time...
