German Death metal, pure and simple… These guys have been going for a few years and herald an old school approach. Every now and then there are some super cool melodic passages added into the mix. Essentially, a complete package if you prefer bone shattering organic sounds.

‘Evocation of Chaos’ is a retrospective compilation of all split releases, unreleased tracks, live recordings and the demo “Into the Depths of Infinity” from 2008, on one release. From the juggernaut opener ‘Astral Voyage’ to their signature tune (IMO) ‘Maniac Destroyer’, there is a great sense of musical accomplishment here. Treading the boards with the leaders of the field, and then when you match this to the timeline of the original release dates, you hear the progression of this group. More often than not, melodic guitar sections have introduced themselves into certain aspects of their sound. This is a really special feature of this band. The mix is perfect, the energy that’s captured takes all the classic death metal sounds and presents a nice twist EU style. ‘Perdition Destiny’ is worth a good few spins and you should really enjoy ‘Ashen Embalmment’. Whilst the track titles may suggest none so wholesome commentary, they are very satisfying death metal tunes. A nice package in all bringing Obscure Infinity together as some of this material is hard to find now.

To go with my German death metal care package this week, is Obscure Infinity’s new album release ‘Into the Vortex of Obscurity’. Immediately the quality has increased tenfold in the mix and production. The PR material cites Carcass, At The Gates and Dissection as influences, pretty accurate actually to my mind. The Melodic solos overall blend well with the harsher songs overall. A particular dreamy solo is that from ‘Grotesque Face’. There is a clean vocal section during ‘Lightning Spear’, for me this doesn’t work, but the subsequent solo if really special. Technicality is not a problem for Obscure infinity, this album great growth from their ‘Dawn of Winter’ release. In between this there has been a gradual development. If you don’t have those albums, then look to the aforementioned ‘Evocation of Chaos’ compilation that will provide adequate back up.

With all death metal bands, the artwork really sets the tone. This one is done by Juanjo Castellano (who also has completed works for Avulsed and Revel in Flesh). It is very colourful and detailed, so much more so than the sometimes seen as standard black and white gore depictions out there. Overall, ‘Into the Vortex of Obscurity’ is a mature release for this band, riddled with super cool melodic guitar sections and tyrant riling rough edges akin to a blacker side of the spectrum. It’s a well-rounded effort and a real good indication of a band that has truly grown in stature.

(8/10 Paul Maddison)

https://www.facebook.com/obscureinfinitygermany

https://fda-records.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-vortex-of-obscurity-2