In this day and age, to come up with something extraordinary in the realm of progressive metal is not an easy feat – we have everything by now – and the state of things was practically the same 10 years ago. It did not discourage the Australian proggers, NE OBLIVISCARIS, from trying to reach the seemingly unattainable with their sophomore album “Citadel,” released on November 7th, 2014, via Season of Mist. The band had made quite an impression with their somewhat more symphonic debut affair, 2012’s “Portal Of I,” and this follow-up endeavor passed the torch forward with something even more impressive – a fine blend of death metal, prog, and avant-garde. These Aussie rogues weren’t probably the first-ever band to blend technical riffs and blast beats with classical flourishes but they sure were the first act to make it sound so cohesive. Tim Charles‘ violin passages serve almost as the third “voice” in the songs, fitting seamlessly next to his clean vocals and the death-metal growls of Xenoyr. Still, 10 years later, the album sounds refreshingly innovative, and, upon its release, one of the greatest traits of this selection was, indeed, its ability to take the listener by surprise. Mind you, I’d been a die-hard prog aficionado since the early 1990s, and, by 2014, I had probably embraced that “I’ve seen it all, already” stance – and, still, this magnificent beast blew my mind to smithereens. If my memory serves me right, this album did have metalheads gushing over it on all those uppity online forums, back in the day. It sure was one of the best prog offerings 2014 had to offer.
The album opens with “Painters of the Tempest,” a 3-part suite – the second part of which is further segmented into three movements. The first part is a shortish, instrumental intro, building up momentum for the main dish, and the third part is the “comedown” section – yeah, you need to come down after the second part, “Triptych Lux.” It is where the album really kicks off and – oh, boy! – does it kick! The song is still my all-time favorite by the band with its perfect blend of beefy tech-death riffing, prog mayhem, and ethereal beauty. “Citadel” was the last NE OBLIVISCARIS album to feature Brendan “Cygnus” Brown on bass and, on this track, his elegant basslines are truly out of this world. Then, the absolute cherry on the top is provided by the violin solos, courtesy of Charles. To quote a comment on YouTube, “You know it’s a fucking masterpiece when 16 minutes pass by like 1.” I couldn’t agree more. To be honest, listening to this album usually means putting this particular song on repeat. Like a genuinely touching movie, the song rips your heart out of the rib cage, so it’s a bit difficult to listen to anything else for a while.
Sandwiched between the album’s two grand suites, “Pyrrhic” is no lesser treat; it is a 9-minute epic but, squeezed between the two prog marathons, it seems relatively short. This track has not perhaps received so much love from the fans – online, at least – but I guess it is merely due to “Painters of the Tempest” and “Devour Me, Colossus” being so over-the-top epic that they get all the praise. The mellow section, starting around the 6-minute mark, is hands-down the most beautiful passage on the whole album.
The album ends with another colossal prog monolith, the 2-part suite entitled “Devour Me, Colossus.” This band’s fluid songwriting prowess is something else, for sure, as these two epics are so distinct from one another. The dramaturgical arc keeps progressing forward at all times and the contrast between the heavy and the soft, as well as the dark and the light, is really sublime. Then, there are those beautifully haunting classical flourishes! They compel me to wonder why the international metal fraternity hasn’t yet come up with a specific word for this type of subgenre of progressive death metal. Someone once suggested “baroque” on Reddit, but the term didn’t stick. I like it, though. Perhaps Charles‘ violin licks do not adhere to the strict rules of that particular era of Western classical music exactly but, considering all the other connotations of the term, it suits NE OBLIVISCARIS rather nicely.
Still, 10 years later, this magnificent album sounds like no other.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Painters of the Tempest
- Part I: Wyrmholes
- Part II: Triptych Lux
a) Creator
b) Cynosure
c) Curator - Part III: Reveries from the Stained Glass Womb
- Pyrrhic
- Devour Me, Colossus
- Part I: Blackholes
- Part II: Contortions
Lineup
Tim Charles – clean vocals, violin
Xenoyr – harsh vocals
Matt Klavins – guitars
Benjamin Baret – lead guitars
Brendan “Cygnus” Brown – bass
Daniel Presland – drums
Additional musicians:
Emma Charles – violins (tracks 1, 2)
Timothy Hennessy – cello (tracks 1, 2, 6)
Label
Season of Mist
Links
https://neobliviscaris.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/NeObliviscarisBand
https://www.instagram.com/neobliviscarisofficial/
