Having originally formed back in 1986 and legend has it that Dutch death metal machine Pestilence were considered too far ahead of their time with their brand of “progressive” death metal, gaining critical but not commercial acclaim with third album Spheres before disbanding in 1994.
My initial encounter with them came on the back of their reunion tour in 2008 (with Norwegian black n rollers Vreid) They turned in a very accomplished performance and followed this up with the the rather impressive Resurrection Macabre as a result, however they seemed to drop back of the radar very soon afterwards.
So it was a nice surprise to find a press release from Candlelight Records proclaiming the release of a brand new studio album.
According to said release Obsideo is Latin for “To Besiege” which for once is a very apt title for an album as the opening heartbeat monitor creates tension as it begins to flat line leading into the outright ferocity of opening track it definitely feels that yours ears are under siege.
This is predominantly down to the awkward time signatures throughout that never gives the listener a chance to settle into any one groove, As the relentless staccato riffs, harmonics, growled vocals, flat bass lines, rattling drums and out of place guitar solo’s are amplified by high quality musicianship and an impressively loud production causing each track to bleed into the next giving the 30-odd minute run time the atmosphere of a long grinding rollercoaster rather than merely a collection of songs.
And this is how it should be experienced as it provides the thrillingly uncomfortable listening experience that only extreme metal can provide which leaves a sense of satisfaction for reaching the end in one hit. The short-ish run time also ensures that Obsideo does not outstay its welcome and veer from the intense to the merely boring.
