ALBUM REVIEW: Exul – Ne Obliviscaris
An entire decade has left NE OBLIVISCARIS with four beautifully crafted albums and three stunning EPs; and as expected their latest effort Exul doesn’t fall short of their high standards despite the numerous line-up changes they’ve had in that timespan. More often than not bands fail to keep consistency with line-up changes because bringing in someone new to the band can either elevate the sound in a new direction or break everything, leaving more to be desired and the audience lacklustre – a word not associated with a band of this calibre.
The band jump-start the album with Equus which features the intricate clean vocals of Tim Charles that sound reminiscent to those of Dan Watson and Dan Tompkins in certain areas, violin melodies that sound very Victorian ballroom-esque, and an overall chaotic-neutral energy. It knows when to unleash the hellish screams, with a frenzy of technical aspects and a laid back folky atmosphere.
Further into the album we have Misericorde I – As The Flesh Falls and Misericorde II – Anatomy Of Quiescence which are difficult to refer to as two separate entities because where I ends and II begins feels entirely too smooth and without checking the track titles you’d assume it was the same song. Misericorde I features crisp, heavily distorted and thick guitar tones, bouncy bass lines that are far from simple in nature, and pounding double kicks that knock the wind right out of you. The sudden transition into the jazzier section is smooth, allowing the violin a moment to shine in all its glory before building back up. Between Marc Campbell’s harsh vocals – which sound very black metal-esque but with a refined, mature definition – and the tremolo guitars, there is an ambient black metal feel to the track without fully committing all the way.
Misericorde II opens with just the violin on its own following on from the outro of its predecessor. It descends into the chaos of your mind, like you’re trapped without an escape route and the guitar solo does an exceptional job at further emanating this feeling. The ongoing riff that plays out towards the end of the song is very jarring, yet it does well to contradict the tone of the violin. The screams are agonising, gut-wrenching and kissed with the heartfelt cleans they add more layers to an emotionally complex two parter. It’s a highlight of the album that shouldn’t be overlooked by any means.
Suspyre displays stunning bouncy, technical riffs from the start that dissolve into ambient prog sections and shoegazey chords before ascending into a doom and gloom filled bridge that commits to the black metal style as the wailing of the violin in the background completes an unsettling reality. In contrast, Graal aims to amp it up and create true chaos with fast-paced, melodic riffs in contrast to the wailing violins, the insane drum patterns and furious screams. Following into Suspyre, this track showcases more of the band’s black metal inspired riffs; whilst used sparingly they do add an element of surprise.
The album ends on Anhedonia, a hauntingly beautiful composition between the Arabic desert-like feel of the first half that progressively descends into uncertainty and chaos as Charles‘ eerie melodies capture and motivate the emotion of the song. This track sums up the eerie, melancholic beauty of Exul; it’s a visual experience for the ears that must be experienced entirely to understand.
Overall, this album has a perfect balance of impromptu jazz lounge moments, folk elements, black metal derived sections, and progressive sounds; it evokes a lot of emotions when desired and allows every instrument to be heard without turning into senseless noise. The most honourable of mentions of this album must be given to Benjamin Baret who curates guitar solos that know when to hold back and focus on the emotion specifically and when to let loose, allowing for some fretboard chaos; not something every guitarist is capable of but a true beauty when handled right. NE OBLIVISCARIS have a bright future ahead and if that wasn’t obvious before it sure is now.
Rating: 9/10
Exul is out now via Season Of Mist.
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