Obšar - V rabstvi merzotnyka

Today, I'll be diving into the latest offering from the mysterious artist Obšar, an E.P. titled "V rabstvi merzotntyka". A huge shoutout and my sincere thanks go to "J" for sending this one my way for review. Your contribution is much appreciated and I'm excited to explore what Obšar has crafted with this release.

Track:1

This opening track was a massive surprise to me because within the first couple of seconds, I swiftly realized that this was a mix of techno/synth with black metal—something I’ve never reviewed before. To be honest, this isn’t really my style, but after listening to this album two times in its entirety, I must say that I feel I might be listening to more things like this… I couldn’t believe how good it was. There are some super catchy melodies played on both guitar and what sounds like a Korg keyboard, which easily overlap each other, creating a very deep-sounding mix. I believe the drumming on this EP was awesome as well, and I really thought that the addition of deep synth noises playing along with the kicks was a great idea and added some real substance to some sections. Track One, in my opinion, was a brilliant way to start this EP. It clearly communicates what these artists are about and their musical style, and I find the driving force behind the main melodies to be incredibly tight, compelling you to forcefully bang your head in time to the beat.

Check the video here

Track:2

Track Two certainly had a gripping introduction, conjuring deep sci-fi exploration with an awesome backing beat that features some great double kicks to spice it up a bit. I feel that this track has some of the most complex layers going on in the EP for sure. There really is a myriad of sounds going off in your ears, and the way it’s mixed allows you to hear some sounds bouncing across the earphones with different equalizations, and it sounds really cool! As this track progresses, it gets a little bit more dissonant, especially with the vocal delivery, but then just before the halfway mark of the song, you are again introduced to a really catchy segment, with a really nice prominent chord progression playing along with the drums, which gives it a really "full" sound. Quick shout-out for the super alluring addition of female choir-styled vocals, which seamlessly transitions back into the chunky riff I loved in this song!

Track:3

What can I say? This one makes me feel like I’ve been transported into another dimension, flying through geometric patterns with an awesome "RETRO" vibe behind it. What a great start and incredibly catchy, to say the least! I really liked how the band quickly changes from this part to go into a more downbeat, deep, and chunky section. I’ve mentioned it before, but I genuinely feel that a major part of the sound from this band is the prominent kick drum parts, which have that awesome synth 'bounce'/'chug,' and this song utilizes it quite a lot, which is great. I'm a massive fan of the addition of female vocals once again, but this time in a more angelic style

Track:4

Even though this track is the shortest on the EP and is the closing track, I feel like this track, just like Track Two, has some deeply complex patterns in terms of synth usage and layers. This song is definitely the most "beautiful" on the album and, for me personally, helps me paint the vivid images the music conjures in my head most easily. A very calming and well-placed outro; I only wished that it was a little longer.

So for me, I always try and base my rating out of 10 on a number of things, and I always try to put my personal feelings aside and rate based on what is musically "great" and how well each band member contributes to the overall sound, setting my "preferred style" aside.

For me, this was a pretty hard one to rate, to be honest, because of a few reasons: Reason 1: This is my first interaction with this specific niche of black metal. Reason 2: This is not my go-to style and not something I’ve really delved into review-wise. Reason 3: My ratings normally stem from different aspects of black metal that are not found here, so this one was very challenging for me.

This album genuinely surprised me with how good it was. I love all styles of black metal and am very eager to hear new material, so this release was a truly refreshing experience. I’ve heard synths in black metal before, but not in a way that you could literally put it on in a disco and people would still bounce to it. Like, come on... what other black metal can you really say would pass at a 'normie' club?

Each member from this EP truly pulled their weight to make an overall soundscape that is unbelievably impressive. I loved the general tempo of each track, making you headbang at some parts, while others make you feel as if you are being transported into space. The drums are very punchy with a great synth bass addition on the kick. Guitar chords and melodies are on point and very catchy, to say the least.

I really had to sit for a good 15 minutes and think of a genuine rating that this EP deserves. And like I said, I like to give every album the same chance in scores, setting my personal feelings aside. And I personally think that this E.P deserves a grand 9/10! This EP showcases a band with a massive talent for making massively alluring and complex soundscapes, breaking the barriers of the 'black metal norm'—unchained and unbound. Some of the coolest retro-styled beats I've heard in forever.

Thanks to J for sending this EP my way. Guys, what a brilliant EP. FAN ACQUIRED!