ALBUM REVIEW: Diluvium – Obscura

OBSCURA are doubtlessly one of the biggest names in technical death metal. Over the last 16 years, the band have carved their way to the top of the game, independently releasing Retribution, their debut record, in 2006, and a further three records through Relapse Records. 2018 sees the German tech-death veterans release their fifth record, and their fourth in the ambitious cycle of albums all following a linked conceptual theme: Diluvium.

Linked by the concept of a life cycle, each album in the cycle – Cosmogenesis, Omnivium, Akróasis and Diluvium – all follow the ideas of birth, consciousness, evolution and death, with the lyrical influences taking inspiration from religion, philosophy and astrophysics. Lyrical and musical ideas, concepts and themes are linked by individual songs across all four records, making this four album cycle a truly unique and incredible project. As the final chapter in the cycle, there is a certain degree of expectation on the shoulders of Diluvium and fortunately, it doesn’t just live up to expectations: it shatters them.

Though OBSCURA have consistently included prog elements, extreme technicality and non-standard structures to their music throughout their career, they remain, at the core, a death metal band. And Diluvium is, arguably, the point in their career where we see the most perfect harmony between technicality, boundary pushing prog and utterly crushing death metal. Throughout the record, impressive virtuosity and memorable, eviscerating extreme metal are offered up in equal parts, delivering an album that appears to be the most classically OBSCURA-sounding of their discography.

The quartet pull no punches with the opening moments to Diluvium. Clandestine Stars triumphantly opens the album, kicking things off not with an overlong, soothing intro, but with furious double bass and techy, melodeath inspired riffing. Ethereal, autotuned singing gives the otherwise crushing opener an otherworldly feel, and accents the guttural vocals of Kummerer perfectly. The record’s title track is a perfect example of OBSCURA easing off the tech side ever so slightly to deliver a devastating slab of death metal, with a brutal and, surprisingly, catchy chorus that is sure to go down a treat during the upcoming touring cycle.

A highlight from Diluvium, and a track sure to feature heavily in their live set for the foreseeable future, Ethereal Skies lifts the already epic-sounding record to new heights. The otherworldly, autotuned vocals from Clandestine Stars make a return appearance, juxtaposing the frantic shred-work displayed throughout the song. The track is also the record’s only use of orchestration, and these symphonic elements really make the track stand above much of the record.

Diluvium ends not with a whimper, but with a three-way blast of aural annihilation. The Seventh Aeon starts the record’s closing moments with an atmospheric slice of pure prog-death. Some semi-clean, raspy vocals add a new dynamic to the chorus of the track, and an old-school inspired solo around the midway point is one of Diluvium’s highlights. A contender for the strongest moment, The Conjuration delivers something a little different. Where most of the record has been death metal with prog/tech elements in equal measures, this track is a brutalising dose of pure MORBID ANGEL worship. Crammed with ten-ton riffs, driven by blast beats, and accented by sinister lead work, the track is doubtless the heaviest song on Diluvium, and easily one of the album’s best pieces. Bringing everything to a head is the ambitious An Epilogue To Infinity – another strong case for Diluvium’s finest song, the track walks between the pure MORBID ANGEL worship the listener got a taste of with The Conjuration and the proggy tech-death OBSCURA is known for, juxtaposing the two seamlessly and coming arguably close to being a perfect closing song.

Diluvium is a hugely important record for OBSCURA. It marks the end of over a decade of work in bringing this four album, conceptual masterpiece to fruition. Fortunately, there is really no better way the band could have ended the cycle: Diluvium represents the best work produced under the OBSCURA name, with technicality harmonising perfectly with memorability, brutality blending into melody and more riffs than any band has a right to include in a single album. If this is how OBSCURA bookmark the last decade of work, the next decade will be an exciting time indeed.

Rating: 9/10

Diluvium is out now via Relapse Records.

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