Retribution

Now, this was a nice surprise; a band that plays technical/progressive death metal and actually writes good songs with memorable riffs! I’ve understood that Obscura’s second album “Cosmogenesis” is quite similar to current guitarist Muenzner and drummer Grossmann’s other band Necrophagist, but “Retribution” has almost nothing to do with said band. Maybe the fact that the whole line-up is different, sans founder/guitarist/vocalist Steffen Kummerer, has something to do with it?

The overall tempo is slower, there’s not as much instrument wankery and you can actually dig this for other reasons than wanting to get awed by the fast and tight musicianship. Not that this record doesn’t have that; but in contrast to Necrophagist, it’s used in favor of the songwriting, which is the only right way to go in my book. “Retribution” has a nice blend of groovy, fast and technical death metal. Furious blast beat sections intermingle with thrashy mid-tempos and headbangable slow parts. Melodic leads reminiscent of 90’s Swedish death/black are served next to chunky riffs from the Florida sewers.

My one problem with this album is that quite a bunch of riffs bear a striking similarity to Death’s material. Even Mr. Santura (the guitarist of Dark Fortress, who for some reason performs all the vocals on the disc instead of regular shoutmaster Kummerer) sounds like the late Schuldiner. Some stuff sounds like straight-on rip-offs actually, which is quite disturbing; all the more when you notice that the last track on the CD is a Death cover… Not everything is plagiarized though, the vast majority of the album being Obscura and nothing else. And Obscura is good, I’m tellin’ ya. Their arrangements and style changes within songs are highly unorthodox and original, even though all the riffs may not be. Everything is also delivered with a healthy dose of conviction, precision, and good taste. The production could be from the mid-90’s as well, reminds me a little of “Symbolic”, by you know which band… Oh, almost forgot: do not judge this CD by its cover. It’s fucking hideous!