Obstacles

Signing Obstacles is really a scoop for Play Rec. Their 7” on Red Tape Records last year was a damn fine release of scorching math rock, and Obstacles really backed it up with some energetic live performances.
“Dividual” offers 10 tracks of the same kind that graced the Red Tape 7”; hardhitting complex proggy math rock, this time with a bigger production. All tunes but one are instrumental, Henrik W. Hald (Trust, Rising) sings on “Locomotive”. Which is kinda fitting since Obstacles belong in the same musical ballpark as Trust, although Obstacles got a synth player in the lineup. 40 minutes of math rock could seem like a challenge, but fortunately “Dividual” is pretty varied despite the lack of vocals. The expected masturbatory almost fetish guitar tappings are all over the place, but a track like “Anything Inexplicable” has a freejazz buzz and some wild sax. The impressive “V” possesses an eerie horror flick feel, and others have krautrock-ish Can-esque touches. “Rorschach” is probably my fave cut on the album, which essentially captures what the band is about. A massive thunderous rhythm is fused with some outstanding guitar work and haunting synth. I can perfectly see this Copenhagen 4-piece doing well internationally with this excellent debut album. Young and old prog heads, get “Dividual”, or I will break your glasses! - Lowcut Magazine

Bandnavn og albumtitel er begge velvalgte, når de fire københavnske mathrock-musketerer i Obstacles barsler med debuten 'Dividual'. Deres lyd er, trods den traditionelle guitar/bas/keys/trommer-besætning, en musikalsk forhindringsbane spækket med spastiske temposkift, snirklede melodipassager og regulær troldkunst på instrumenterne. Man skal som lytter være omstillingsparat og fleksibel som kviksølv for at følge med i alle krumspringene, og det er stensikkert en kvalitet, som vil kløve rockpublikummet i to. - Soundvenue.dk

Rockbands uden forsangere er stadig undtagelsen, der bekræfter reglen. Obstacles er vokalløse og stolte af det: "Who needs vocals when you've got riffs like these," gjalder kvartettens motto. Debuten Dividual tager udgangspunkt i 90'ernes benhårde "math rock", hvor punket energi, ukurante taktarter og skæve riff gør fælles front i et kompromisløst stormløb på sanseapparatet. - Gaffa, Denmark

With very few exceptions, purely instrumental rock albums get very tedious very quickly, often highlighting the importance of the vocal element in adding an extra, somewhat essential, dimension to the overall experience. København's Obstacles
fall somewhere between exposing this shortfall and revealing that the inclusion of a singer isn't as important as some may think. The album displays an insane amount of technical wizardry, falling in and out of rock and free jazz, at times sounding like an intense math-rock jam session. Closing track "Locomotive" is where "Dividual" both rises and falls. Featuring the only vocal performance on the album, it makes it very clear that the music Obstacles
plays benefits greatly from having a singer -- in this case Henrik W. Hald
of Trust
and Rising
fame -- in the fold. His inclusion offers a distinct Mastodon
vibe and shows, undeniably, that this is a band who has the potential to reach a level of appreciation that will escalate them to a greater international recognition. The music is of the same style as on the rest of the album; it's just that where the other, voice-free, tracks often wind up sounding a little too much like fret-wankery of the highest order, the vocal addition gives us something additional to concentrate on, resulting in a greater, true appreciation of the musicianship on display. There's great potential here. Whether or not the band decides to capitalize on that is entirely up to them.
- John Norby - It's a Trap! Scandinavian music journal