Review Summary: The magnificent swan song you might have missed back in 2013.
Obsian is the second full-length by NYC experimental black metal outfit Castevet and quite possibly their last unless they uniformly decide that splitting up was a ***e idea. If your cvp ov (kvlt) tea is the grim, frostbitten traditionalist old school black metal aesthetic then you probably should not bother. Actually you probably should either way, because aren’t you bloody bored with the same regurgitated artistic expression all over again release after release? Well you probably aren’t, which is all fine and dandy either way, but you’ll be missing out on some seriously well-crafted and beautifully composed ear candy. Unless of course you do give this a shot that is. Just give this a shot in between burning churches and painting your face with your mom’s (or daddy’s) makeup (or industrial paint, what do I know..). Brooklyn makes more than just damn fine-tasting brewskies. Anyways, here’s a track by track review because that’s an approach we’re all comfortable with I’m willing to assume.
The Tower: The album opens with vast sweeping angular chords juxtaposed with some tasty tremolos over a driving drum shuffle. I mean just listen to those beautiful chords and progressions. They seamlessly blend and paint a complex landscape with the ebb and flow of compact drumming broken apart with one shots. Around the two-minute mark the band adds another complimentary section of hard chugging while hinting at the previous riffs already introduced. The song perfectly juggles a driving 4/4 feel with a 6/4 triplet feel (*** I might be getting some music terminology inaccurately down here but you get the picture if you listen to it). At the three minute mark they break it down and enter the last phase of the song which consist of some seriously delicious string skipping as the song slowly fades out and bleeds into atmospheric feedback and delay perfectly fusing into the second track. [5/5]
Cavernous: The song starts out with frantic drumming until the singer whelps at around the 40 second mark and some more death metal sounding tremz dominate. The song juggles these two headbangable riffs for about three minutes until a more atmospheric riff takes over. The song overall has a bit of a slow sludgy feel to it even though the instruments are busy as hell shredding away for the majority of it. That’s when the five minute mark strikes and we’re treated to some delightful tribal drumming again topped with long atmospheric notes coming from the bass. Yes, the bass is very present and audible throughout the album and the guy can play some hooks! Then the song takes another turn and introduces some delicious folky acoustic guitar-hooks at around the sixth minute mark over some way more frantic drumming. The character of the song is totally different. Then they tie the entire damn thing together at the end and it just makes absolute sense. [4.5/5]
The Curve: The proggy vibes that open this song showcase some delightfully melancholic riffs for about a minute and you’re in heaven. Then it’s time for some dissonant sludge leading into angular anger music that really get all the juices flowing. The intro riff is then brought back effortlessly but repeated less leading into the third section that changes the mood of the song. The song menders over an up-strummed dissonant chord over slow drumming for about a minute channeling some depressive doomy feels before they finally introduce two more chords to build upon the initial riff. It takes you by surprise in the most seamless of fashions. Then the four minute mark clocks in and a quick tremolo riff hits you, but the best part is how this chord progression bleeds into the final riff that will dominate the remainder of the song. The song repeats three chords again but in a different progression backed by driving double-bass drums and the bass slowly but surely is brought more and more into the mix as well as saturated reverb and delay drenched sweeps of the same chords overtake the distorted instruments. What a bloody way to end a song, I’m ***ing speechless. [5/5]
As Fathomed by Beggards and Victims: *** this review is getting long, but this song begs for some deep diving too. The main riff revolves around acoustic guitars backed by single shots distorted guitar and some groovy bass. When the shrieking kicks into the same first two chord pairs are repeated over and over, divided by the style of drumming. The two minute mark sweeps away the acoustic guitars and replaces the previous progression with another variant composed of dissonant distorted guitar instead and it all just flows together perfectly. These guys know how to make subtle variations to repetitious riffage to keep it constantly moving and interesting. The outro riff starts around the fourth minute mark and re-introduces the proggy vibes of earlier songs with a nice little riff that gets repeated until the song ends with a short coda breaking the riff into two sections. Again, just bang on compositional choices being made. [4.5/5]
Obsian: This is an ambient song that acts like a counter point to the complex riffage and sonic outbursts of the songs that precedes it. Quite frankly it comes just at the right time and allows your brain to relax a bit and melt away in the jungle of arpeggiated chords layered with distorted feedback and atmospheric synths and guitar wankery. It’s not an overly complex song but that’s what makes it such a good counter to the rest of the album. Relax and contemplate your questionable life choices. [3.5/5]
The Seat of Severance: A slow groovy dissonant riff permeates the majority of this section and we hear some clean baritone singing for the first time. This song is as close to traditional song structures as the band comes to and acts as a gloomy ballad ender to the album going between a verse-chorus like structure with some beautiful melodies over dark chord progressions. That is at least up until the third minute when the song locks into a waltzy groove. Well at least the guitars, because the drums are having a field-day mixing up different styles of skin maltreatment. Some subtle aahs and oohs add to the general complexity of the chord progression and then the song rises to majesty right before the five minute mark with the final riff of the song. Chord one shots repeated over more melancholy aahs signaling the finality of the album. The song ends on a long drawn-out trumpet (?) note ringing out into nothing and you’re left feeling like you can die a happy man/woman/otherling. [4.5/5]
Recommended tracks:
All of them. In sequence. Listen to the album from beginning til end as it was intended by the artist for fook’s sake.
