OBSIDIAN SWORD BAND PLUS

Something that probably had many a fan run away in fear 4. The crew here also took a liking to She Comes in Color. Only that the chorus adds that progressive flavor just a tad later. Or take Moonrise (Through Mirrors of Death) that thrashily hits the road in best Nevermore fashion at first. And then the more power-leaning Your Poison Throne doubles down with one of the most stellar solos I heard to date. You’ll know at once that this is Jeff Loomis at work. Thrash Metal pounces hard on The Termination Proclamation, the first track.

OBSIDIAN SWORD BAND PLUS

That, plus the well-poised riffs gives The Obsidian Conspiracy a settled look and feel. Dane sports a power of expression that – for sure – wasn’t there before. On Obsidian you’ll often find multi-layered texts that truly made us salivate. With those pained lyrics that somehow appeared almost as an afterthought. Gone are the ever-present, in-your-face guitar riffs. And as an extra bonus, you’ll truly enjoy those stellar solos that suddenly appear out of nowhere.Īnd what does that have to do with the quality of this conspiracy here? Well, it is as if Warrel Dane really enjoyed that newfound sea room to maneuver. His less technical contribution made me marvel more than once at the perfection this master guitarist musters. And this happened because Jeff Loomis decided 3 to go easier on his bandmates and – also – the fan base. In addition, The Obsidian Conspiracy propels Warrel Dane to the forefront, an excellent vocalist at the heights of his powers. We indeed don’t quite know when ‘mainstream’ happens, yet with Nevermore you got nothing to fear. Greater acceptance through chart numbers means that your fan base is growing.

Whereas the protagonist will tout this as a sign of success, the antagonist will scream foul and point to the vile mainstream. Now, improving chart positions is of course a double-edged sword. And that’s a pretty remarkable feat, especially as Obsidian entered the Billboard 200, which is far from easy. To add some proof to the proverbial pudding, the record charted at better levels than its predecessor ever did. Thus, it appears that the much-hyped influence of Peter Wichers (ex Soilwork), in his role as producer, indeed had an impact. The Obsidian Conspiracy indeed contains much less fat with a much clearer arrangement. Which – in turn – gave the songs a much crisper, and – I daresay – more ominous appearance. In other words, all that needless fluff was out the window. Only, with some added ideas and a much more streamlined structure. Yet, there’s nothing simplistic on this record. As if that same-sound-forever thing is some sort of badge of honor to wear on their metal battle jacket. It’s funny how the minions of the status quo often try to stick to their guns come hell or high water. Or still lower, stuff like mainstream, pop album, or again, not my Nevermore – all kinds of defeatist garbage. Now, I heard the word simple or – worse – simplistic applied to the pleasures of The Obsidian Conspiracy. Its fate sealed itself indefinitely, once Warrel Dane died in 2017. To add even more spice still, in 2011 – one year after the release of the record – Van Williams and Jeff Loomis left the band 2, which pretty much ground the band’s activity to a halt. A record that was to be the last ever for Nevermore, though. Promises of a more progressive approach built on a darkly sinister theme. An abrasive something that somehow lacked flow and coherence in many ways.īut the mysterious 2010 piece The Obsidian Conspiracy really stuck to our radar. Yet, exactly this very complexity made it a difficult listen. Scratchy, overly complex, nasty, and totally rough as it was, this record projected the band’s talent at a scale that not many outfits can muster. So, we couldn’t resist taking another record on board.Īlready the 2005 piece This Endless Endeavor fascinated us to no end. Nevermore, however, directly emerges from those murky depths of the juiciest records the somber subsurface of the metal industry could muster. In other words, the mainstream hunters, hustlers, copycats, and other chart-hungry, swampy creatures of the light 1 almost run no chance to appear on this blog. A sweet spot for the underground at large and for bands that show a ton of character. The brutal and ritualistic metal soundscapes that Rock never touches. The RMR deck crew has a weakness for the sinister and the deep frightening darkness.

Obsidian sword band