ALBUM REVIEW: Black Frost – Nailed To Obscurity
Saxony’s NAILED TO OBSCURITY have been plugging away in the underground German death metal scene for a decade and a half now, and are on the cusp of rocketing to the world stage. The quintet harness a brand of super melodic death/doom, and after releasing their debut, Abyss, independently in 2007 and two strong album’s through Apostasy Records in 2015 and 2017, Opaque and King Delusion, respectively. Now, they are back with their Nuclear Blast Records debut: Black Frost.
Where King Delusion was a more “standard” affair for doomy melodic death metal, blending aggression and ferocity with emotional, melodic sections, and doing it well – Black Frost is a different beast. Throughout NAILED TO OBSCURITY‘s fourth album, there is a distinct lack of schizophrenic clashing between the melodic, doomy sections and the heavier, more death metal orientated parts of the album. Black Frost blends these elements together seamlessly, creating a musical journey rather than a collection of songs. Far removed from the pulling-no-punches style of melodic death metal pioneered by AT THE GATES and DARK TRANQUILITY, the way NAILED TO OBSCURITY harness the aggression of death metal and the melody of doom feels distinctly reminiscent of early OPETH – a fact only aided by the progressive song structures and use of clean vocals.
Black Frost is bookended with greatness, both the opening title track and the closing Road To Perdition stand as highlight moments from the record. Opening with a ritualistic drum beat, ethereal guitars and haunting clean singing, Black Frost builds into an atmospheric, decidedly sinister banger. The otherworldly atmosphere established in the song’s opening moments never lets up, and NAILED TO OBSCURITY execute their trademark blend of melodic doom and death metal perfectly. Finishing the record in fantastic fashion, Road To Perdition sees the quintet delve into some of the most melodic and heartfelt moments on Black Frost, dancing between soft, melancholic clean passages and heavier, more crushing death/doom with ease, captivating the listener as the album draws to it’s closing moments.
Though the opening and closing songs from Black Frost stand as two clear highlights, there is plenty to enjoy throughout the bulk of the record as well. Tears Of The Eyeless offers a far punchier affair, forgoing the ethereal atmosphere for a stomping ride that soars at it’s melodic moments and devastates at it’s heaviest, while The Aberrant Host brings some of the most crushing moments on the entirety of Black Frost. While still retaining NAILED TO OBSCURITY‘s trademark melody, the melody is used to further reinforce the haunting, ethereal atmosphere of the record, while the song is driven forward by sinister, heavy melodic death metal. Clocking in at just over eight minutes, Cipher is the longest track on Black Frost, and has some of the doomiest moments on offer from the album. Another clear stand-out song, Cipher manages to showcase the key elements of NAILED TO OBSCURITY‘s sound without merely ticking boxes – doomy, melodic and atmospheric, Cipher is every bit as heavy as it is emotional.
Wildly emotional, subtly progressive and crushingly heavy, Black Frost is the magnum opus of NAILED TO OBSCURITY‘s career thus far. With a sound hearkening back to the days before OPETH went full 70s prog, the German quintet have delivered a fantastic offering for their Nuclear Blast debut. With the backing of one of metal’s most prestigious and respected labels behind them, it’ll be fascinating to see how NAILED TO OBSCURITY progress, will they transcend the underground of German death metal into heavy metal’s spotlight? Or is their a name a self-fulfilling prophecy as to the heights they can reach? If Black Frost is a marker, it’s likely to be the former.
Rating: 8/10
Black Frost is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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