Obsidian Daggers and Cinnabar Skulls

Sitting somewhere between Swedish and Finnish styles, the debut LP from Cynabare Urne brings some much-needed ambition to Scandinavian death metal. Listening to this, one cannot help but feel that this is the band Entrails could have been after their reformation, had they not consistently leant towards limited d-beats and melodeath stylings from album to album. ‘Obsidian Daggers and Cinnabar Skulls’ takes the meaty guitar tone, fat drums, guttural but clear vocals of the Swedish masters, and adds an additional layer of darkness to the riffs courtesy of a pronounced Demigod influence.

Production has a very old school flavour to it. The drums, although clear enough for us to appreciate the playing, are a little weak. The guitar tone is bass heavy, far more organic than the cliché ridden tributes to classic Swedish death metal that are currently swamping inboxes around the world. They perform the dual purpose of covering the album in a tone that carries with it a dark atmosphere as well as articulating the musicality of the riffs themselves. Vocals are much more standard fair for this style, almost to the point of feeling out of place in a setting that aspires to esoteric darkness more than it does power and brutality.

Cynabare Urne have taken only the smallest of steps in this direction however. But it is enough to carry this album above the current crop operating in this field. They have blended the familiar traits of mid-paced death metal with some faster riffs borrowed from black meta, which not only elevates the death metal features above a mere box ticker of brutality, but also implies a darker atmosphere throughout. This dichotomy becomes apparent by the track ‘Escaping Xiabalba’. Regardless of tempo, key, or general riff tradition Cynabare Urne are lifting from, this is a very binary listen. It is split between competent but lacklustre death metal, only slightly more notable than average, or interesting builds and narratives that bring the listener back in.

It’s a shame that Cynabare Urne do not do more to build on these more compelling features that speak of death metal that transcends genre. As it stands, they remain too brief or underdeveloped to fully draw us in. Despite this, there is a unity and logic to the tracks; one that can be enjoyed on an intellectual level if we’re admiring good musicians displaying both their craft and their ability to spin better than average compositions together.

Originally published at Hate Meditations