really good. NeO continue to impress

No way they were thinking that they could possibly get away with that violin at the beginning and not make everyone think of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

New albums looking to be better than Urn so far.

Nice! Dan Presland's departure raised questions for me, but if this is a new drummer he sounds fantastic. I know this album's been in the oven awhile so maybe it even is Dan on it, idk.

At risk of presuming too much or unintentionally diminishing Dan's work, his drumming in other projects sounds like he has more creative freedom there, so maybe it's fine.

@ AnEpicDeath this is actually Dan's last project with them. They'll have a new member playing these parts live, though

I always get the vibe from this band that each individual member is so good at their craft that the songwriting as a whole should suffer but it just...doesn't. Really excellent track and forever grateful this band exists.

Shaping up to be a really good release. Great song.

Havent lsitened yet but hope they let Xen go black metal again instead kf just sticking to his growls

I absolutely love that they found a bassist that fits as well in the band as Cygnus, and that you can clearly hear it in the mix. Really good song.

Okay, this slaps. Better than Equus. Now I'm hype.

this is great! that's the brutality I was wanting from Equus

One of their best tracks. Definitely getting excited about this record.

Holy shit, blown away by this. That solo at 5:56 gave me the hardest frisson I've gotten from hearing new music in a long time. Stoked for this one for sure

The second half of this song is awesome. I'm still not the biggest fan of the clean singing, but it's tolerable.

It’s ok

I’ll stick with citadel tho

Really well structured song, hyped for the album.

Another stellar song, it's pretty much not possible for these guys to put anything bad out. Interesting to see the interactions by Dan on the facebook page around the Patreon funding. Still disappointing he has left, will be interesting to see if they can maintain the quality on their next release without him.

Both singles have been great, very excited for this album!

very gross comments from Dan. disappointing to see. I can only guess that they are coming at least some kind of hurt he is feeling over not being in the band any more. I am not sure the nature of his departure though (whether it was mutual agreement/he was fired/whatever else).

what did Dan say? can anyone link or summarize?

someone was complaining that NeO have had very little output over the years between Urn and the new album (about 5 years) and interrogating them basically because they have a Patreon which is funded by fans.
Incredibly entitled opinion, the band don't owe anyone anything, and if Patrons are unsatisfied with what their money is getting them, they can unsubscribe at any time!

anyway, Tim (vocalist/violinist) responded citing COVID related things, logistical issues, personal problems, etc. all contributing to the album delay.

Oef that doesn't sound like a happy parting in mutual agreement to me. Pity and to post a comment like that is unprofessional enough to make me question the statement to begin with imo. Reads like a lot of frustration.

Anyway single is awesome. I like it more than the first one, which I felt was unordinarily ordinary for them.

Sometimes the blunt truth is what is needed. The sanitized version the band were offering wasn't entirely on the level with paying fans.

Up front I wanna say I don't pay for their patreon and I never will pay for their patreon because I don't believe musicians are obligated to release music. But it really sounds like Dan just hates them tbh. Maybe they didn't want to show up to the studio because they were um... isolating? Maybe your band members were dealing with mental health issues? Work? Lots of factors can be at play. Regardless, anyone who has ever worked with other musicians knows this tom foolery is common. Just running your mouth after you quit is never a good look.

I've happily supported Persefone for years even though they consistently take a relatively long stretch of time to write their material. Band all seems to get along, fans are happy, no bad blood. The quality is worth it.

Feels like there's some lurking drama under the surface.

Wouldn't surprise me. Bands been known to have some questionable happenings behind the scenes.

No doubt he was pissed at the band for (what he considers) wasting all that time. It is in his press release, too (not the pissed part, it was more level headed... but the part about nothing really happening for two years).

If you read his exit statement, it's full of discussing how much work he put into the new release and how committed he has always been to the band, "I was always proud of not accepting invitations to join established touring bands, and pushed forward with NeO." He also made sure to mention he recorded his drum parts for the album back in 2020, and " [how he] did more prep work and writing for that record than I have done for anything else."

Also, If one of my favorite bands needed a Patreon to continue, I would definitely contribute monthly.

Forgot the link:

https://lambgoat.com/news/35715/ne-obliviscaris-drummer-dan-presland-quits-band/

Allegedly he was talking crap in the comments section on their FB but couldn't see it. Sounds extremely level headed and cool with it there. As sad as it is I'm starting to think they're another band that disagreed on COVID/politics and it just turned into a shit show from there. Maybe he was cool then but as the album is getting closer to release it just festered.

Maybe as they got closer to touring again, he was given an ultimatum. Wouldn't be the first band to drop a member due that ultimatum.

They could have agreed on a hiatus and told Dan about it and maybe he could have agreed, or disagreed... there's not knowing what we would have said. They just didnt handle the situation the best, communication between them and Dan could have been better, and it's understandable for wanting to take things easy during Covid times.

the whole Patreon thing is what makes it most messy, I guess going on hiatus would not have been an option due to the Patreon... I agree that musicians shouldn't be obliged to write music

Just as a general Australian thing. During the pandemic Melbourne (where these guys are based) was the most heavily locked down place in Aus. Also i think the new bassist was stuck in Europe for a long time because he was visiting family back home. Between the fires at the end of 2019 and then covid ontop of it, it was one long never ending gut punch. So i can see why the band (and a lot of bands here) could have just decided to put the project on ice and find a more stable way of existing for those years. Of course there would be tensions and frustrations between everyone. Still sucks to hear about Dans behaviour though. Tims also helping Persefone as well as a manager or something alone the lines of that and Xen is involved in half a dozen projects and his own art

I understand how consistently paying an artist on a cycle a la Patreon can feel as though additional pressure is being put on an artist, but I also think it's important to give support to artists people are truly passionate about. If it's their livelihood or otherwise helps allow them to stay creative and active, I have no qualms with it.

AFAIK Ne Obli haven't misused funds, but I can't speak with certainty.

It sounds like it was a hindsight hiatus where after a year or so Dan realized they were on a break. In the meantime no one had done anything, and he hadn't taken any other offers (as he kind of made clear in his exit statement). From his words, it doesn't sound like anything that was actually discussed, they just had 'excuses' every time he asked what's up.

On the flipside, I understand wanting to make optimal use of all the downtime to take care of all the things you normally don't have time to do when the world is running.

yeah I can understand Dan's frustration at things taking so long. but to bad mouth the band after leaving, and especially the line that they "beg and grift fans for money" is just a horrible attitude

I totally forgot these guys existed, guess I'll check it out.

--yeah I can understand Dan's frustration at things taking so long. but to bad mouth the band after leaving, and especially the line that they "beg and grift fans for money" is just a horrible attitude--

Having your livelihood fucked with could be an irritating thing.

how was his livelihood fucked with?

I imagine I’m not being able to provide the service he would charge for there would be some measure of income loss or delay. Stressful times circa Melbourne lockdown.

Dan said his studio was open all lockdown. and the band was still getting money from Patreon. enough for dan himself to say that they are grifting fans. whatever loss of income he may have suffered can not be blamed on the band.

Only thing more dramatic than NeO's music is what happens with them outside of the music.

Potential income, if you will. If the band wasn't idle for three years would they make more? Could they have done a live stream like a lot of bands? Could they have released the album? Could he have taken a job with a different band (as he alluded to)? I clearly don't have insider information, I'm just going off the hints he dropped.

The band are making about $5000 a month from Patreon.

"We have already locked in over $5600USD in monthly subscriptions and next month each of us will get a small pay cheque for the first time for being part of NeO after 12 long years."

https://killyourstereo.com/news/ne-obliviscaris-violinist-responds-to-patreon-criticism/FzMDCwoNDA8/07-03-16

Edit: That link is from 2016 but I just looked and this is the current take:

725
patrons
$5,803
per month

Dan never mentioned anything about his income so idk why this is the point you have chosen to base your defence for his actions on.
either way, it was his decision to stick around as long as he did, and his decision to leave when he did. the way he went on to their facebook page to air grievances, I found to be very gross, and I don't think there is an adequate excuse for it. Tim's answers for the long wait were reasonable and understandable.

lets imagine that the band WERE intentionally delaying the recording/release of the album. why? to "grift" more money from the fans? ITS THEIR MONEY. the patrons are willingly giving NeO money, and they are allowed to cancel their subscription at any time, no questions asked. the band have no obligation to do anything specifically with the money that is given to them. their Patreon is not a commission service.

The link with the dollar amount they were making was just to quantify what kind of money they were making... and $5800 split among five members is nothing so I don't really agree with him that they were 'grifting' fans at all. They clearly aren't making enough to quit their jobs and blow off their band. I also agree that the band doesn't owe anyone anything, and Patreon is entirely voluntary. So, we're on the same page there.

As for Dan's income, you're right. I read the whole mission statement on the band's Patreon page and they've never even broke even on a tour, so taking three years on the album probably actually saved them money.

The reason I am using to say I understand his actions (which can be both understandable and unprofessional at the same time) is that he feels they wasted three years of productivity. I think that's his main issue with the band.

Digging the new single. This album seems like it'll be another solid release.

I’m not a musician, but I can totally understand Dan’s frustrations. Seeing your band receive tons of hype and funding only for the rest of the group to beat around the bush when it comes to actually putting in a similar effort would be beyond frustrating. It’s a shame of course, especially when the guy sites a significant attempt at addressing Covid concerns. Sounds like he just got fed up with sitting around while feeling an obligation to churn out new tunes. It’s not like they’ll ever make a record as interesting as portal or citadel again, and at their rate, we’ll get 2 attempts at it per decade.

*anyways*

New album will be a 3.6 imo. Not amazing, just good

It’s not immediate. The more runs through the album the more this thing seems to click - little call backs to opening musical motifs, call and response etc

I guess I’m saying I miss the black metal influences. The high vocals layered in between clean passages. The band seems to have steered more towards prioritizing folk/prog over a harsher, heavier, riff based sound. Band is still top in their genre imo, and I prefer them a bit more than a band like Wilderun. But I just don’t feel the emotion swings are as impactful without the heavier sections

Honestly I thought these two singles are better than anything off their last album. Took a few listens. Citadel was their peak though.

definitely an easier and more enjoyable listen then the previous song

unfortunate that dan left the band, personally i understand both sides of this -- dan's frustration, and the rest of the bands'... less energetic (?) approach to surviving the pandemic ://

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-yE_EzlJGA

New track

Might be my favorite single they've released so far. Considering there's only 6 (?) tracks on this album I'm hoping the other 3 keep up the same level of quality. Cautiously optimistic!

Optimistic? Check the rating page.

Im waiting until it drops tomorrow and avoiding listening to Misericorde

Lol I was literally thinking of doing exactly the same and lasted about 30 seconds.

Ive grown off NeO since i fell into Opeth heavily and possibly listened to them too much before that. So keen to hear new stuff

Solid album but definitely doesn't reach the highs of their previous stuff, at least not yet. Could be a grower though.

Don’t rate on initial spins. Sure fire way to sell the album short

Will listen tonight or tomorrow, have only heard great things about it so far

Jesus christ this kicks the shit out of Urn.

so far i cant agree, feels like this is their weakest release now. i said the same thing about Urn when it came out though and its grown on me majorly since then, so im sure this one will too