Review
Enthroned
Obsidium

Belgian black metal veterans Enthroned offer up a new platter of palpable devastation with Obsidium. With this album they show the versatility that has carried them throughout their career. Obsidium will be revered amongst black metal purists, but easily approachable by those unfamiliar with the genre. Metalheads of all sorts will be coming together to bask in the darkness of every riff.

The opening track has that signature bleak opening fused with low chaotic riffing to create the perfect stage for the rest of the album to act upon. Enthroned doesn’t ease you into the album, they drag you under water in the first few seconds and holds you there for 40 minutes. Every second is a struggle. The storytelling aspect to each song is very unique and explained through the expanding vocal range of Nornagest and his backups. Early death elements spill through on the title track as well as the 4th track, “Deathmoor,” while some standouts like “The Final Architect” sound like the black metal equivalent of a ballad. It is epic sounding with a touch of urgency throughout the song. My favorite song was actually the concluding “Thy Blight Vacuum,” which shows a different writing aspect then I’d heard from Enthroned in the past. Instead of focusing on the morbid riffing they usually master, this song in particular sounds more haunting than anything else. The mix of vocal styles and the driving, half-time beats at the beginning and end send chills down my spine each time I listen.

Beautiful melodies intertwined with a speed and precision that is only matched by thrash bands these days make Enthroned one of the more interesting acts in black metal today. For people who might be scared off by bands like Emperor, Enthroned is very good transitional tool, almost like an introduction to the genre. It’s not too abrasive for the newly recruited, but still contains the musicianship and heaviness required by the legions of already loyal fans. Obsidium is perfect music for storming the gates of an oppressive regime or for drinking a few beers with friends when you’re feeling a bit twisted.