A Nest of Ravens... is an album that is at its best when it strays away from the rather progressive atmospheric black metal dirges that it stubbornly insists on dragging on. The band is talented and has vision, but clearly has some issues in crafting an identity based on those aspirations, instead opting to break more frequently into dreary, tiresome heaviness that permeates the album's core. Things become truly interesting, though, when Obsidian Tongue slow things down and become deliberate, because in these moments the weary tremolos fade and become displaced by massive atmospheres. The title track is the prime example of this breakthrough, because through the use of extremely simple melody and masterful pacing the track rises into a marvelous beast of its own. Driven by John Haughm's session vocals, the track shows what Obsidian Tongue have hidden beneath the cliches and the lack of true identity in a scene that is almost entirely dependent upon creativity in order to thrive. Build on that, and Obsidian Tongue are a force to be reckoned with.
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