Review Summary: Are you not entertained?
Ne Obliviscaris. What is there to say about this band that you haven’t already heard?
Releasing a stellar debut in 2012 called Portal of I, the band followed it up 2 years later with a record called Citadel. A record that many people including myself considered to be their opus. Then came Urn, a solid but quite frankly disappointing follow up to Citadel. Running it back, Urn was a record that made me question if the band had already peaked nearly a decade ago and the departure of Brendan Brown really shined through as the music tends to go in one ear and out the other for the majority of the record. Next in the band timeline came the departure of drummer Dan Presland. A departure came 5 years into this album cycle. So after I heard that Ne Obliviscaris was finally dropping their 4th record titled Exul 6 years after Urn I had to ask myself the question, “What does Ne Obliviscaris have left in an ever evolving genre?” Thankfully after going through what seemed like “production hell”, Exul silenced all my doubts as it is a masterfully crafted record that blends emotion and technicality with ease.
To start off, drummer Dan Presland sounds as creative as ever and has finally managed to nail that perfect sounding drum kit. A problem that was right in your face on Urn. Seriously, these drums sound absolutely beautiful as they drive the record and Dan has laid down an extremely strong and technical performance that doesn’t over power the rest of the band. Hopefully he returns some day. Matt Klavins and Benjamin Baret often do their thing by weaving counterpoints throughout the record that keep the guitar department interesting yet palatable as they also converge into the more melodic and crushingly heavy riffs often throughout the record. Speaking of guitar, Benjamin delivers some excellent lead work and stellar solos throughout this record. The biggest highlight in that regard is the jaw dropping solo on Misericorde II which reaches straight into your soul.
Then comes Tim Charles. While on other records the violin would most often pop in and out for its own shred sections, Tim uses them more often on Exul to create hauntingly beautiful melodies and atmospheres that support the soundscape the rest of the band has laid down. Doing so, he has propelled the emotional capacity of these songs to higher highs that aren’t just throw in, but earned on this record. Violin shred fans can still be at ease though as he still plays the violin in typical Tim Charles fashion. Vocally “Xenoyr” sounds stronger than ever and Tim and himself compliment each other like Yin and Yang.
However, it would be a real shame if I didn’t address the elephant in the room. The new bassist Martino Garattoni. While I had my doubts that someone could fill Brendan Brown’s shoes, Martino really knocks it out of the park with his debut performance. In fact, Martino has laid down without a doubt the best bass performance on any Ne Obliviscaris record. Using a strong thick tone, the band has pushed his bass to the front of the mix with excellent results. This decision and Martino’s performance are really what take this record to the next level in terms of Ne Obliviscaris standards. By the way, this mix is superb. Everything is clear as day and it’s refreshing to hear Martinos stellar performance in a genre often dominated by guitars. With all these ingredients coming together the cherry on top for Exul is the improvement in song writing. Every song as memorable and consistent as the last and none of these songs suffer from carrying on too long which is a problem that band has had in the past and every song has its own unique identity.
Overall, 6 years after their last record, Ne Obliviscaris have shattered my expectations and reminded the metal scene why they were on top a decade ago. Creatively the band has pushed out of their “one trick pony status” sounding different this time yet familiar. While this record doesn't change the game like Portal of I and Citadel did a decade ago, Exul is the strongest Ne Obliviscaris record to date that pushes the boundaries of the band creating an emotional filled journey that re-establishes Ne Obliviscaris as metal royalty.
