Obsydian

Decent debut effort here from these Canadian death/thrash metallers who call themselves Obsydian. The Grotesque Presage mixes the pummeling brutality of classic era Death with the raucous frenzy of Testament, Heathen, Exodus, and Slayer, the end result being a ferocious collection of guitar driven riff mongers that will prompt plenty of repeat listens.

The duo of Marc Mackenzie (who also is the lead vocalist) & Mitch Dragatis churn out plenty of addictive riffage throughout The Grotesque Presage, starting right from the get-go of "Blastocyst Assassination" and "Indoctrinaled", a 1-2 punch that will instantly put you in the extreme metal mood. Drummer Justin Mashall is at his blasting best on the speedy juggernaut "The Apocrypha", a relentless thrash attack with crazed riffing and screaming vocals. Other hot tracks include the chugging gallop of "The Rebirth", the Death-meets-Arsis flavored "Poison Of The Pious", and the near 9-minute instrumental epic "The Grotesque Presage", a mammoth piece littered with tasty guitar harmonies, crazy rhythms, and moments of gentle atmosphere.

The only negative you can really say about this CD is that a bunch of the tunes tend to follow a similar pattern and lack variety. If more of the elements that make up the instrumental title track were found throughout the album, it would be that much more of a success. Overall though this is a solid mix of death metal and thrash, which will easily appeal to lovers of guitar driven extreme metal. - Sea of Tranquility

Il Canada continua ad alimentare il metal estremo immettendo giovani realtà dalle più che discrete potenzialità, ennesima band da tenere sott'occhio è quella degli Obsydian.
I ragazzi provenienti dalla Nuova Scozia hanno rilasciato l'album di debutto "The Grotesque Presage" sul finire del mese d'aprile, la formula su cui si basano è abbastanza semplice, puntano su un death/thrash veloce, compatto che in alcuni frangenti gioca con la melodia.
Dotati di buon gusto e di una tecnica più che sufficiente, riescono a più riprese a inserire anche movenze groove per assestare dei colpi diretti, lo scream del vocalist e qualche fraseggio più spinto di matrice blackish variegano ancor più un sound derivativo ma che fa più volte centro come nel caso di una spacca collo "Indoctrinated" dove appare, anche se a sprazzi, un growl profondo e secco, la scia musicale di gente come Behemoth e Belphegor sembra far capolino più volte nel lavoro della formazione canadese, violenza che attinge delle sonorità tendenti al black anche per la successiva "The Apocrypha" inizialmente ma che, internamente, rivela passaggi richiamanti anche lo stile dei cannibali più famosi del death, variazioni ancora legate alla scuola estrema polacca e ai Kreator.
E' un calderone ampio e non semplice da gestire quello in cui gli Obsydian si sono incastrati, si barcamenano alternando e cercando di creare un equilibrio fra questa molteplicità di influenze, in linea di massima regge ma al tempo stesso la troppa carne al fuoco appesantisce in alcuni casi il trascorrere del brano.
Mettiamo in conto anche che c'è più di un'ora di musica a nostra disposizione, lo sforzo messo in atto è di quelli massicci, non hanno paura di ingigantire il suono imbastardendolo (sempre rimanendo internamente ai confini dell'estremo), e spingono dannatamente come succede a esempio con l'assalto proposto da "Seeds Of Desecration", un vero martello pneumatico in azione.
Imperterriti bastonano con le successive "Divine Sedition" che si conclude in crescendo con un assolo melodico ben eseguito e travolgente, "The Rebirth" ennesima clavata a capocollo che si diletta fra accelerazioni pulsanti, terremotanti e fasi allentate dove il riffing ridondante e ossessivo colpisce in pieno, si prosegue su tali direttive e tocca anche alla titletrack fornire l'apporto richiesto alla prova.
"The Grotesque Presage", dopo un inizio parlato con vocalità distorta, lascia alla chitarra solista un lungo spazio in cui poter esibire le sue doti di dinamismo e freschezza compositiva per poi lanciarsi in una folle corsa frenata bruscamente dal comparire improvviso di un inserto pianistico accostato dall'acustica.
Lo strumentale mostra i due volti, quello spietato e quello intimo, di una formazione che nel riprendere il suo corso abituale adesso sembra chiamare in causa l'epicità di certe scelte Amon Amarth dando per l'ennesima volta libertà di sfogo alle sei corde che non se lo fanno ripetere due volte.
Il disco di questi ragazzi spicca per un songwriting come già accennato sì saturo d'influenze ma che evidenzia una capacità compositiva notevole, il farle convivere è merito assegnabile in parte alle due asce Mitchell Dragatis e Marc Mackenzie esecutivamente perfette ed equilibrate nonché solisticamente dotate, in altra parte al batterista Justin Marshall che fa la differenza con i suoi cambi di tempo e le impostazioni di pattern ficcanti e incassati a dovere nella rete formata dai riff.
Il basso di Ian Seurattan funge da vero e proprio collante fra i reparti, non brilla per originalità e non si complica la vita puntando al sodo, Marc si occupa anche del cantato e si assesta su livelli più che buoni sia nello scream sia nel growl, la bocca spara fuoco adatta a dar voce nel vero senso della parola alla musica degli Obsydian.
Un altro punto importante per la resa delle canzoni è la produzione curata agli Echo Chamber studio, pulita quanto basta a delineare chiaramente il sound e a imprimere lo spessore e la spinta adatte a una prova che per quanto violenta ha dei risvolti tecnici non male.
Come tanti act anche gki Obsydian vengono assorbiti nella marea delle auto produzioni e ci si continua a chiedere dove guardino e cosa cerchino realmente le label... un punto interrogativo che rimarrà senza risposta se non quella più prevedibile legata non all'arte ma al becero ma fondamentale riscontro monetario.
"The Grotesque Presage" è ordinabile direttamente presso la band, se la proposta rientra nei vostri canoni d'ascolto un pensiero su questa giovane promessa fatelo, soldi spesi bene. - Aristocrazia Webzine

As a metal critic, I’ve found that death metal is one of the hardest genres to really stand out in. Considering how many different groups have come and gone over the past couple of decades, it is always refreshing to discover a younger act that really seems to know what they’re doing. Canada’s Obsydian certainly fit this description as they play death metal that has some black metal tones and an emphasis on melody. On their debut album The Grotesque Presage the group proves that they have what it takes to compete with some of the bigger names in the genre and if you enjoy this style of music they are well worth checking out.

While Obsydian puts a lot of melody into their music, it is important to note that they are not a melodic death metal band. Instead, the group uses the traditional death metal base and places some melodic solos and atmospheric breaks over top of it. At times this gives the material a tone that is similar to some black metal bands, but the structure of the riffs and solos makes The Grotesque Presage a pure death metal album. It is clear that these guys are strong songwriters, as the entire effort lasts for over an hour and the average song length is about five to six minutes but listeners will never find themselves getting bored. There is still room for the instrumentalists to expand on the melodic interludes but they are definitely off to a fine start and this release has plenty of memorable moments.



Another area where Obsydian stands out from some of the other genre efforts out there is with their vocal arrangements as lead singer Marc Mackenzie utilizes a higher pitched scream for the majority of the album that is full of energy and aggression. Occasionally some lower pitched growls are utilized and this does sound similar to some of the other acts out there, but as a whole the overall sound is a little bit different than what fans might be used to. The lyrical content on The Grotesque Presage is fairly typical, but it fits the music quite well and won’t bother most people.



The Grotesque Presage is an impressive release, especially considering that this is a fairly new band. While the core of Obsydian’s music is standard death metal these guys have put their own spin on things and have created some memorable material. Hopefully some label decides to give this group a shot as they could definitely use some additional exposure. - Cosmos Gaming

Whoever from Nova Scotia area dares to say that metal is stupid racket for beer drinking, pot smoking peasants, should give Obsydian a listen. Jesus Christ, what an impression they make for a band that is still this young. They are a death metal band firmly rooted in old fashioned death and thrash, but with a tremendous sense of melody and their scope clearly set on the future. They sound fresh, but they still have a raw edge to it, which gives them all the credibility in the world.

They can play very fast at times and even in the slower parts the aggression is kept alive. Part of that has to do with the fact that the screaming vocals are permanently in “full speed ahead” mode. It is no wonder that the main influences are fast death and black metal bands. Check out their MySpace page and see if you are just as surprised as I am about the fact that this band is still unsigned. That makes it even cooler that these Canadians make an album with a sound like this. There’s still room left for growth, plenty even, but if they dare to simplify their song structures a bit more, an even stronger version of Obsydian could rise. Go listen to them, you will not be disappointed. - Lords of Metal

Metal from the Canadian Maritimes province of Nova Scotia surprised me. You expect music like Celtic tinged jigs and all of those sea ferrying type of songs that have been around for generations of sailors but getting some big time Brutal Death Metal was something else? It is a surprise, yes, but a good surprise to have unleashed on me.

Mixing the very heart fire and fury of Death Metal with this darker feeling stylization of Thrash, Obsydian comes at you like a nuclear battleship against a unarmed dingy full of bunnies. It is sort of a bastardized amalgamation of the power of Carcass meeting Overkill with a thread of Tank flowing through it for good measures. This amazing collection of influences that makes the band’s sound that much more larger than it might be.

Each track is brutal and intriguing all at once. The fact that this grouping of musicians that are talented as hell just adds fuel to the fire. The are the band that just might be the next Metallica. With the right management and a wee bit of luck that will be the key to how far they could get.

They have all of the talent and drive... add in a dash more time to mature as a band then Metallica will have to be looking over their shoulder. Obsydian is ready to take the reigns of the metallic metal masters and it will be taking it by force. They are in training right now and they are close to finishing at the top of the class.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8
Originality:8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10 - Metal Bite

This Obsydian are four kids from Nova Scotia, inspired by Nevermore, Behemoth, and the like (I say “this Obsydian” as there is another with the same spelling out of the UK). It seems the original two guys started off in a sort of Metallica cover band- and it shows. Obsydian have been called blackened death metal, which rings true, but with an unmistakable thrashy edge, whether they know it or not.

Self-released “The Grotesque Presage” is their first full-length album, consisting of material old (‘06) and new. It is composed of ten tracks, making it over an hour long.

Too long, guys.

Whilst the music itself is pretty damn decent, Obsydian could definitely benefit from a bit of outside management; someone to pick out the best tracks and riffs, and shorten the thing. Half way through number six, I was pretty exhausted of it. Really though, that is about the only thing I can criticize. They’re young, unsigned, and motivated, not to mention they can play their instruments with a fair amount of proficiency.

I think there is some hope for these kids; they seem to be starting off on a good foot. They are fast, aggressive, and the overall sound is a lot more mature and impressive than so much of the crap “metal” that is floating around the fucking cunternet these days. Of course, as with many bands in their beginning phase, there is room for improvement. But if Obsydian take themselves seriously, and learn to polish their own brand of music, they could go reasonably far.

It’s nice to finally come across a band adequate enough to make me:

a) curious about a second album

and

b) not wish a painful and lonely death upon them.

Therefore, I would say bravo, but next time be a bit more selective with your final recording. Length doesn’t always matter, boys. Look at Slayer’s first album- less than 35 minutes. Quality over quantity, ya’ll. - Global Domination