Year: 2019
Total Time: 49:32
Label: 20 Buck Spin
From Minnesota, US here comes OBSEQUIAE, created in 1998 as AUTUMNAL WINDS. Under this name they released 6 demos and one compilation on tapes and CD-r only, until 2005 when they disbanded in order to return to their present form two years later, in 2007. So OBSEQUIAE, which means mass funerals, has offered us one demo and three albums, of which the third and most recent, we present here today.
“The Palms of Sorrowed Kings”, was released on November 22and it includes 12 tracks, 5 of which are instrumentals. Listening to it, I was able to listen to their influence from the Middle Ages, very clear if someone sees the album’s cover, and even the orchestral songs, which are short masterpieces, are played with medieval harp. I think that says it all. The rest of the songs brought to my mind a lot of EMPYRIUM, a dose of the ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW feeling, but without classifying them in the Finnish scene and even through the Black Metal-ish moments of the album, with the minimal blast beats, there is a lot of the folk aesthetic in the air. All this is filtered through a beautiful Black Metal melodic filter. I would also like to point out that I was able to catch a glimpse of some of the melancholy AMORPHIS have, but that may be just me. In terms of production, everything sounds clean and polished but not to the point of sounding “plastic” and fake. Nice structures, easy to digest and enjoyable to listen to. At some points, it is a fact that I got back and thought “oh this is a nice part”, but it’s generally not new what the band is giving us, not that this means it’s one of the many similar bands. I am mentioning this so you won’t get me wrong, the album sounds very pleasant, from start to finish.
In conclusion, it’s an album worth searching for, especially by the fans of the genre. I can say for sure that it is not a waste of time, and as I am not a lot familiar with that part of the US scene, it makes me happy.
Rating: 7/10
Nick Samios
Related Link: OBSEQUIAE – Label’s Page
