Monday, 19 January 2015

Obsequies - A Paroxysm of Hate (self-released, 2003)


 Obsequies - A Paroxysm of Hate

Alright can't say this is exactly black metal. It definitely has the macabre and dark feeling of the early black metal movement (Darkthrone, Burzum, early Mayhem, early Necromantia, Varathron - does anyone still remember them?, Khold etc). The record leaves you with feelings of depression, the macabre and with a constant dread of an inescapable darkness. In that alone it certainly does achieve its purpose of self-desolation but the technical part is different. The production is not bad, digitally recorded in Cerberus Studios although Darkthrone's infamous 4-way channel production is the ideal one for such minimalistic music. Drum work by Melmoth moves on a satisfying scale although more work could be put on the rhythm section thus achieving a further musical thrust of audial hatred. The tempo is slow, hardly any blast-beats. Through the monotonous rhythms throughtout the record one can notice the overall black feeling of this demo. I believe few people will be gratified after this release since it is directed to a limited sub-group of listeners, furthermore the atmosphere achieved here oozing through the speakers for some may be disturbing and for some others simply captivating. This is 20 minutes of pure and raw, black hatred.

(written for Metal Archives - August 4th 2004)

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