Band:	Obscura
Album:	Akróasis
Style:	Progressive death metal, Technical death metal
Release date:	February 05, 2016
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. Sermon Of The Seven Suns
02. The Monist
03. Akróasis
04. Ten Sepiroth
05. Ode To The Sun [feat. Maria Bullok and Monika Bullok]
06. Fractal Dimension
07. Perpetual Infinity
08. Weltseele [feat. Jupp Wegener, Matthias Preisinger, and Philipp Rohmer]
09. The Origin Of Primal Expression [deluxe CD bonus]
10. Melos [deluxe vinyl bonus]

If you are unfamiliar with Obscura, the German combo plays an unfettered brand of progressive technical death metal similar in style to bands like Cynic, Gorod and Necrophagist. With three key members gone since their last opus Omnivium?Christian Münzner [guitars], Hannes Grossmann [drums] and Jeroen Paul Thesseling [bass] all left after 2011?the band had to be rebuilt. The latest lineup is comprised of mastermind Steffen Kummerer [guitars, vocals], Linus Klausenitzer [bass], and more recently Sebastian Lanser [drums] and Tom Geldschläger [guitars]. 2016 sees the work accomplished since the arrival of the new recruits, with the release of Akróasis through Relapse Records.

Despite the relatively recent additions, these musicians are a tight unit. Don't get me wrong, technically no one can afford to skimp with these very demanding songs. But the energy and execution showcased here are well beyond simply doing the job. There is a synergy at the core of Obscura that is the foundation of why the Bavarians can deliver such complex song structures in such picture-perfect fashion. The tag "progressive" truly belongs here as becomes obvious very quickly on Akróasis. Indeed, it might be high-quality technical death but do not let that fool you into thinking "brutal repetition". Rhythm changes and wild musical tangents are frequent here. Fretless bass and fretless guitars are all over the place as it befits the musical style so well.

The record opens up with "Sermon of the Seven Suns", an epic ride of exquisite taste in both atmosphere and choice of rhythmic breaks. I don't want to spoil you the fun to discover those 8 compositions. Just know that there are a lot of ideas. And I mean A LOT. Case in point, there are some female vocals on "Ode to the Sun". The closing track alone, "Weltseele", is a 15-minute long beast of a song. It features a cello, a viola, a violin, and a double bass. All of these string instruments are layered on top of an absolute roller-coaster of melodies that are morphing from death-oriented to thrash-oriented. I love how some songs just flat out evoke the band Death in its later years.

With so much experimentation, some of the musicians' choices will be questioned. I for one admire their guts to take chances, and I really do not see any major drawbacks. Despite the fact that it is a handful to handle in one sitting, the album does become eventually catchy pretty quickly thereafter. The production is super crisp. I love how prominent the bass lines are in the mix, especially seeing that Linus Klausenitzer delivers a master performance.

Omnivium was more symphonic and closer to the concepts of pure technical death metal but this album is more daring and feels less constricted by the style framework. Still death metal through and through, Akróasis is a treasure trove of ingenuity that pays homage to the true spirit of brutal music while fulfilling the desires of progressive metal enthusiasts. With this offering, Obscura have proven that they are still a reference band. Go punch your ticket to this multifaceted and exciting sonic ride.