Review Summary: Ne Obliviscaris bring another album in their signature style of extreme progressive metal.
Laden with the flair of operatic clean vocals, technical musicianship, fierce grunts and violin.
Ne Obliviscaris made a big splash with their first album Portal of I. It had a fresh vibe that was received well. Now on their third full length Urn, that fresh formula hasn't changed much. It's still comprised of all those same elements that made the first album tick. The question is now perhaps, is Urn necessary? And does it bring something new to the table?
There is a particular duality to Ne Obliviscaris' music. The brutal side is represented primarily by ferocious and technical drumming. Taking cues from black and death metal to provide a pummeling backbone. On top of that there are the vocals of Xenoyr. He grunts and growls, shouts and sometimes snarls. It's a solid extreme metal vocal performance that lies quite low in the register which makes it pleasant and not too exhausting to listen to. Not the most impressive of the year since it can be a little flat but it's very consistent. Also, do not expect to understand any of the lyrics but that's pretty much a given.
On the other side there are more melodic and sweeter sounds to be found. Sweeping melodies flow from the guitar in a higher pitch. The theatrical clean vocals soar, dripping with intense melodrama. It's not for everyone but it does steer clear of becoming pure cheese. Though perhaps not by much. The vocal work is dynamic and interesting, the melodies are memorable and often pretty and bright.
The vocalist Tim Charles also provides the violin, this means that the cleans and violin parts generally don't overlap. The violin has an interesting place in the compositions, often a solo instrument, proving beautiful melodies or sometimes a more subdued sense of atmosphere. At other times it becomes dissonant and wails and screeches, the instrument being pushed to the limits of abuse. The playing is virtuous and haunting and since the instrument is uncommon in this sort of metal, it adds a unique flavor to the overall sound.
Ne Obliviscaris' music gets really interesting when the two sides start to blend together. The glue for this is perhaps the guitar work. It's versatile and excellent across the board. Acoustic passages, crushing riffs and engaging solos are all featured. Across the louder and quieter spectrum. They play with the ingredients they have available, blending the loud and the quiet, the vicious and the pretty. Cleans and grunts overlayed, singing different parts. The violin leading the melody over the extreme drumming and galloping riffs. The music feels alive and surprising in those moments and the resulting musical fabric sounds rich and unique.
This is a progressive album. The songs here are long, the opener nearing the ten minute mark
and Eyrie going well over eleven minutes. Often brutally intense, with blastbeats attacking and vocals roaring but it breathes well. They weave a dynamic tapestry, scaling it all the way back to a single acoustic guitar or a solo violin section before cranking the intensity all the way back up. This process is expertly orchestrated, transitions are smooth but surprising and feel effortless. The pacing is also excellent, again, these songs are long and it's a challenge to keep the listener engaged for seven, ten or even twelve minutes. The stripped down moments are generally pretty, bright and full of emotion, bringing a lot of atmosphere but they're not boring or repetitive. The songs are constantly moving forward, they're going somewhere and evolving along the way.
There's few negatives to mention. Urn (Part I) - And Within the Void We Are Breathless stands as the worst track on the album, showing the least variety and dynamism. The production is a little sterile but it didn't bother me too much. The ending is definitely weak though. It just kind of stops, the booming crescendo that's expected never comes and instead a crunched chord just fades into the sonic void.
In the end this is a very solid album. Is it new? Not really. Is is necessary? I think so, because it's damn good. Something that perhaps further works to its favor is that there are few projects that bring this kind of music at a high level. Last year gave us Black Crown Initiate with Selves We Cannot Forgive and the magnificent Slice the Cake album Odyssey to the West and even those two bring slightly different experiences. So if this sort of music is your jam, Urn is a generous splash of water in the face in an otherwise barren desert.
