Obscurant - First Degree Suicide

[The Metal Chick]

Obscurant - First Degree Suicide
Woodcut Records - CUT038 - July 12, 2005
by Amanda J. Carlson

This Finnish death metal band is not unlike bands I've heard before. There is a strong resemblance to early Amorphis, with the slower-paced, atmospheric songs, and very little diversity between each. I've listened to it about ten times now, and still cannot find anything that stands out. It's also incredibly short (less than 40 minutes) so before you know it, it's over and you're left feeling a bit empty.

It's not hard to enjoy these songs, though. The entire album is well executed, nicely produced, and the vocals are perfect for the style - just the right kind of growl. In a couple songs they slip in some clean vocals, which is a nice touch. But the repetitiveness of it all, especially in "The Redemption" (where the song is pretty much the same melody line over and over), doesn't play in their favor. With so little to offer, it leads to boredom after awhile. It just needs more substance.

5.5/10

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Obscurant Official Website
Woodcut Records Official Website

 

[dill_the_devil]

I enjoyed the last album these guys put out - a nice slab of melancholy, mid-paced death metal with doom sensibilities. Haven't heard anything other than one track of this one yet, but I'd be interested to hear the rest. Going from what I know of the band though, this is definitely a fair review. They don't deviate from their chosen course much at all, but if you like what they do, it's gonna be a worthwhile purchase.

 

[Dr. Abner Mality]

Incredibly boring stuff. Sounds like a bad imitation of all the slower Hypocrisy songs, done with no imagination. A real dreary experience, and not in a good way.uke: