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Obscura - Cosmogenesis Hot

Monday, 30 March 2009

Editor's rating

7.1

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chris Alfano
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Monday, 30 March 2009
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Anticosmic Overload
02. Choir of Spirits
03. Universe Momentum
04. Incarnated
05. Orbital Elements
06. Desolate Spheres
07. Infinite Rotation
08. Noospheres
09. Cosmogenesis
10. Centric Flow

Artist: Obscura
Title: Cosmogenesis
Genre: Progressive Metal • Death Metal
Release Date: 16 February 2009
Record Label: Relapse Records
Format: Full-length
Country: Germany
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Editor review

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		7.1
Musicianship		9.0
Composition		7.0
Experimentation		6.0
Production		6.0
Value		7.0

I've never been particularly thrilled by Relapse's seeming attempts to monopolize the underground. Call me paranoid, but the label's aggressive marketing strategy and pervasive scouting tactics simply reek of conspiracy. Overall, the variety and expansiveness of their roster implies a strange sort of omnipresence; not unlike the sort used by covert agencies to topple foreign governments and establish puppet regimes.

Regardless of whether Relapse is in the habit of turning up at backwater gigs in black suits and matching shades, their ability to identify talented (or at least marketable) bands is uncanny. For the benefit of those who live in a cosmic void, Germany's Obscura is one of the label's most recent acquisitions (abductions?). Even by Relapse's standards, the release of 'Cosmogenesis' was marked by a promotional blitz of staggering proportions. While the online metal community emerged relatively unscathed, Obscura's MySpace page was known to collapse servers and destroy bandwidth like a Trojan virus on speed. While the previous statement employs a bit of poetic license, there were few days when I could check my inbox without being "reminded" of the album's impending release date and/or the musical pedigree of each band member.

Now that the album has finally seen the light of day and everyone has had a chance to ponder its merits, certain questions come to mind:

1. Does Obscura live up to the hype?

2. Is 'Cosmogenesis' the album that is going to push progressive death metal beyond the limits set by their predecessors?

3. Will our time-worn copies of Focus, Piece of Time, and Spheres (assuming that none of us is a jerk-off purist who can't get past Consuming Impulse) become moot artifacts once Obscura graces our jaded ears?

But now that the chips have fallen and the verdict is in, the answers are almost disappointingly obvious:

1. Somewhat

2. No

3. Fuck no

In keeping with the first response, it goes without saying that Obscura is something more than a run-of-the-mill progressive/technical death metal outfit. Calling them "competent" would be a definite understatement, as the performances here are decidedly tight, focused, and highly distinctive. Ex-Pestilence member Jeroen-Paul Thesseling seems to maintain the highest profile on 'Cosmogenesis', as his fluid, slithering bass lines (e.g. "Choir of Spirits", "Orbital Elements") weave in and out of the mix like a reptilian beast surreptitiously eyeing its prey. Drummer Hannes Grossman puts on a performance that fondly recalls Sadus' Jon Allen ("Anticosmic Overload") with a percussive attack that is both invigorating and technically sound. Guitarists Steffen Kummerer and Christian Muenzner employ a wide range of neo-classical motifs that include hammered riffs, gorgeous acoustic pieces ("Universe Momentum"), and harmonized soloing ("Incarnated") that simply prohibit passive listening.

So what's not to like? Truthfully, there is nothing Obscura dishes out that comes across as ill-conceived or half-baked. But herein lies a problem; there is an overwhelming sense of predictability throughout this record that effectively sterilizes it. Over time, I've come to realize that this is a recurrent problem for Relapse bands of comparable stripe. I remember being similarly miffed by Abysmal Dawn's 'Programmed to Consume', which lost considerable impact due to its cold and clinical production (despite the inhumanly tight execution and above-average songwriting). This brings me to another issue, that being Obscura's rather "safe" method of composition. Throughout 'Cosmogenesis', the band seems intent on writing songs that are just technical enough to warrant the "progressive" tag while being very careful not to alienate a potentially wider audience of melodic death metal fans. This works fabulously on some tracks ("Centric Flow"), but is quite tedious in most other instances.

Despite my reservations, I have found myself returning to this album whenever I'm in the mood for something simpler and catchier than Aghora, Cynic or Nocturnus. It may only happen once in a blue moon, but Obscura is a good band to have around when you want to bask in superb musicianship without the challenge of uncovering hidden subtext or banging your head in 13/8 time.

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