Title: Obscura - Cosmogenesis
Date: 2019-04-14 16:45

[![Obscura - Cosmogenesis (cover)]({static}/images/obscura_cosmogenesis.jpg)]({static}/images/obscura_cosmogenesis.jpg)

[Obscura](https://www.realmofobscura.com/) is a German (modern) technical death
metal band, and
[Cosmogenesis](https://obscura.bandcamp.com/album/cosmogenesis), released 10
years ago, is their second album.

I'm generally not a fan of this subgenre: being technical for the sake of being
technical, masturbatory asinine high-speed solo, storms of diminished
sweepings, and brainless drum blasts that are not only uninteresting but also
tiresome, conspiring in something that could accurately be described as "metal
elevator music".

But in this case: Every song has its own identity, and not a single
one of them devolves into excessive repetition or mindless wandering. Yet the
album still feels like a coherent piece, shifting back and forth between fast
and technical, to slow and melodic, with some progressive parts here and
here. There isn't a single bad or uninteresting song on the album, and the
whole thing feels emotional and engaging. Even the instrumental track, *Universe
Momentum*, is nice, which is surprise for a death metal band.

I'm usually not thrilled by the sound of the bass guitar, but on this album
where the instrument is omnipresent, it doesn't muddle or muffle anything, and
adds a surprisingly groovy vibe borrowed from jazz. It might be because
[Jeroen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeroen_Paul_Thesseling) is using a
[fretless bass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretless_guitar).

The guttural growls customary to the genre are in abundance, but every now and
then some clear vocals are making the way through and there is even a bit of
(surprisingly tasteful) vocoder on *Choir of Spirits*.

As is the norm for metal, the lyrics don't rhyme, but their themes, while not
novel, are engaging: the existence/absence of God, space, existence and
cycles, with some Hinduism elements.

The drummer, formerly part of excellent Necrophagist, since he moved on to
Obscura, he traded exciting yet repetitive blasts for varied interesting beats.

Cosmogenesis sounds a bit like:

- [Atheist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_(band)) but more low-pitched,
  way more modern, and with fewer solos;
- [Augury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augury_(band)) and
  [Quo Vadis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quo_Vadis_(band)),
  but jazzier and with more bass;
- [Cynic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynic_(band))'s album
  [Focus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_(Cynic_album)),
	but more modern, less
	[Dream Theater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Theater)-soundy,
	and, again, with more bass;
- [Necrophagist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrophagist)'s album
  [Epitaph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaph_(Necrophagist_album)),
	but less harsh, with fewer <s>ripoff</s> hommages to Beethoven and Prokofiev,
	and with (way) more bass;
- [Neuraxis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuraxis_(band)), but with more
	clarity and less mishmash;
- [Pestilence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pestilence_(band)),
  but more constructed and less violent.

If you were to be listen to this album, it's unlikely to be the worse
decision you made this year.