Saturday 11 February 2012

[ALBUM REVIEW] The Obscene - The Torment of Sinners



Genre - Death Metal

1. The Storm to Come (Intro)
2. Embrace Oblivion
3. Grim Discovery
4. Beyond the Hold of God
5. Skiprat Jane
6. The Final Silence
7. P.S.A.S.
8. Destroying the Heavens
9. The Man, The Martyr
10. Circle of Despair
11. And the Rivers Ran Black

“The Torment of Sinners” is the debut EP offering by UK Death Metal newcomers THE OBSCENE and is comprised half of new material and half material from the band’s previous incarnation. And if you look past the horrendously uninspiring band name, this actually contains some very competent Death Metal which musically isn’t a million miles off the likes of compatriots BOLT THROWER or MORBID ANGEL. Honestly with a name such as THE OBSCENE I was expecting some tech death or core nonsense, but this is nothing but old school to the bone.

The “The Torment of Sinners” half of the release is essentially six tracks of no-nonsense to the point pulverising Death Metal comprised of chaotic drumming (which thankfully remains from ever becoming overbearing) and an alternating twin vocal onslaught of high pitched scraping and more traditional deep gutturals which adds a welcome touch of variety into an at times otherwise uniform release. The riffing is a thick metallic grinding with a touch of groove (of the good variety of course!), which certainly more than hints at a touch of classic Trevor Peres. And like every self respecting Death Metal band, they make enough room for a good old horror sample. At least they’re better than MORTICIAN though eh?

The latter five tracks are from the bands previous guise, SALUTE TO THE SUN and follow pretty much that same path, with an even worse production but more variation and hooks to get your teeth into. The production certainly isn’t the most refined aspect of “The Torment of Sinners”, everything sounds a little thin and the vocals are slightly overpowering, especially on the first six songs. Regardless of this though, I would have to say I prefer the older tracks, overall they’re noticeably more engaging that the newer ones.

One thing’s obvious for certain though here, all the band members are visibly proficient in their own areas, and show more than a glimmer of promise between them. “The Torment of Sinners” is good for what it is, regulation unforgiving blasphemic brutality. On this evidence, THE OBSCENE are on the right track and with “The Torment of Sinners” have a formidable base on which to build from here on in, but shouldn’t be under any illusions as they have a long way to go before approaching the likes of the current underground UK Death Metal heavyweights CRUCIAMENTUM.

6/10

Orignally written for The Metal Observer

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