Obscura - Cosmogenesis

When albums arrive at Metalrage HQ, the Chief labels them. When one is labeled 'technical metal', a slight pressure builds at the base of this reviewers spine in hope of mindblowing walls of sound! And when the band itself consists of ex-Necrophagist and Pestilence members (including one of Holland's top bassplayers) and  compares itself to Meshuggah, the bar is set very, very high...So if technical metal is your cup of tea, sit back and remember that this record is measured on the scale of high expectations.

And still it scores an amazing 89 percentile! Obscura delivered some quality here! The musicianship is amazing, the compositions are sick to say the least, and the production is great too! Then why not a 98 percentile? Well; first of all, those percentages are reserved for only the gods and the gods alone. Second; the fretless bass is an acquired taste. But to be honest, you will probably acquire that taste in no time at all! When at first it sounds like someone is playing a game of ping-pong in the studio while recording, when listening to it more and more it is actually completing the record. But nevertheless; acquired taste...

Cosmogenesis is a thundering album that will blow your mind. The bass was discussed earlier, but the guitars are fantastic! Great arrangements that complete each other throughout the album. The drummer seems to be some sort of Transformer or other robot, 'cause man this guy is fast and skilled!! And that's an understatement I can tell you my friend! Obscura leaves us hungry for the next album and with a slight cynism about whether they will be able to pull it off live. I'm looking forward to putting them to the test! (in other words, come and play live somewhere near soon!)