NE OBLIVISCARIS: Urn (DEATH METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

The lights go out. Six men walk on stage. That night, they have the heavy task of opening for Enslaved. From the very first notes, the audience is captivated. Instantly hypnotized by the talent and technique of the musicians. Overwhelmed by the power of the drum blasts, the incredible bass lines, the supersonic riffs, the guitar solos of a formidable precision, the growl vocals from beyond the grave of a great gothic stallion headbanging like a possessed person and the clear vocals of an inspired violinist, with a radiant face and a sweater with holes. Yes, that night in November 2016, everyone notices this sweater with a hole in it, a derisive symbol of a band's faith in its music. A band that performs thousands of miles away from home, that has only one short hour to convince and whose leader knows very well that this European tour will not allow him to renew his wardrobe. Whatever. The music deserves such sacrifices. Especially since the fans of Ne Obliviscaris are more and more numerous and are here to support the band through crowdfunding campaigns. The Australians could thus take their time to polish their third album, "Urn", three years after "Citadel".

And that's a hell of an album! "Urn" is a marvel of progressive death metal and a terrific display of compositional intelligence. By removing all the imperfections of their previous album, of which some tracks could lack cohesion, Ne Obliviscaris asserts their own singular musical signature, enchains the bravest tracks and allows their music to release all its outstanding wealth.

With a subtle mixture of technique and melody, the style of the Australians relies on the amazing virtuosity of each musician. The guitar of the French Benjamin Baret alternates the flamenco arpeggios ('Libera-I', 'Intra Venus'), the enriched jazz chords, the death riffs ('Urn') and the inspired solos ('Intra Venus'). Dan Presland's drums multiply the blasts beats and rhythmic breaks and support the dantesque bass lines. And Xenoyr's cavernous growl vocals blend perfectly with Tim Barnes' clear vocals, reinforcing the duality between light and shadow, heaviness and lightness, which is the core of the band's music.

With a remarkable production, "Urn" is a real work of goldsmith, a testimony of a band in full rise and holder of an unbeatable melodic weapon: the violin of Tim Barnes.As a Trademark of the band since its beginnings, it is omnipresent here, sometimes as a lead instrument ('Libera-II') and sometimes in support of the riffs, conferring them an overwhelming melancholy ('Eyrie') and infusing the album with the necessary breaths between two storms.

Emotional and addictive, "Urn" invites you to let it go. You just have to let yourself be submerged by the music. A music that defies the laws of density. A concentrate of dark matter whose energy and beauty irradiate the cerebral cortex until hypnosis. A musical vortex to which it is useless to oppose any resistance at the risk of missing one of the greatest melodic death metal bands of the moment: Ne Obliviscaris. - Official website

NE OBLIVISCARIS

URN

SEASON OF MIST

DEATH METAL