The Obsidian Conspiracy Review Thread

I refuse to read any thread on the subject/ listen to any online tracks until I get the actual CD.
I am completely clueless about this album, and that's going to be such a great feeling getting the CD in the mail.
 
Is it just me, or does every single album review for every single Nevermore album begin with, "The new album is a bit of a departure for the band..."?

Every disc is quite different from the previous and they've never done the same thing twice. It's what draws people to Nevermore...talk about stating the obvious.
 
Is it just me, or does every single album review for every single Nevermore album begin with, "The new album is a bit of a departure for the band..."?

Every disc is quite different from the previous and they've never done the same thing twice. It's what draws people to Nevermore...talk about stating the obvious.

Its weird. I think nevermore has always evolved but kept to their sound. However one of the mail things I didnt like about the new disc is that it was to much of the same type they did before just more accessible in style (opening track being the best example of that).

Every other disc seems to have evolved the sound a little bit but never deviated enough to drive away chunks of fans (or gail lots of new ones). Soemtimes the change has been all good, sometimes a step down but always pretty consistent overall.

The first few posts on blabbermouth echos my sentiments pretty good. "Its good but...":

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=2012
 
Its weird. I think nevermore has always evolved but kept to their sound. However one of the mail things I didnt like about the new disc is that it was to much of the same type they did before just more accessible in style (opening track being the best example of that).

Every other disc seems to have evolved the sound a little bit but never deviated enough to drive away chunks of fans (or gail lots of new ones). Soemtimes the change has been all good, sometimes a step down but always pretty consistent overall.

The first few posts on blabbermouth echos my sentiments pretty good. "Its good but...":

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=2012

I've got to say that this is probably my least favorite NM album...not that it's bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's just lacking something imo.
 
Agreed. It just seems so uninspired.

I don't want to get into another Andy Sneap rant, but my real problem is how few chances they took on this one, my common AS criticism.
But I'm not talking about the production this time, I'm talking from a songwriting, and sound building standpoint. There's no meat on the record. There's nothing that remotely catches my ear; I've heard it all before. The lyrics are weak (come on WD...), the riffs aren't exciting, and the song writing is complacent and predictable. I thought this was 'metal'... where's the danger?! Is Nevermore really still trying for radio hits at this stage in the game?

Suffice it to say, unless one day I grow some morbid curiousity, I have no interest in picking this disc back up.