Obitus – Slaves of the Vast Machine (2017)

As a true testament of intensity and brutality, today we Obitus’s latest full-length “Slaves of the Vast Machine”. Comprised of one 45-minute behemoth of a track, this release showcases a master class in crafting intricate Black Metal music that is both engaging and ravaging. While most people would expect this piece to be filled with interludes and atmospheric passages, we are treated to quite the opposite as it is intense and violent from start to finish.

The sole track waits no time to deliver is blistering message with a barrage of punishing riffs and crushing drums. This opening level of intensity is quite brutal and it showcases that Obitus is here and it means business. The band’s vocalist, Johan Huldtgren, does a great job unleashing aggressive BM shrieks that perfectly fit the intensity and rawness of the music. Multi-instrumentalist, Anders Ahlbäck, brings down the hammer with superbly crafted drum patterns and intricate tremolo picking sections which bring this release to life.

For over 45 minutes the band weaves back a forth between hyper fast sections and punishing build up passages, never once considerably slowing things down or showing signs of exhaustion. We are quite impressed with the ravaging intensity this release has and how it abuses the listener’s speakers. If you like powerful Black Metal that does not let go, pick this one up and be ready to be blown to pieces.

Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records / Black Pague Records

Release: February 16th, 2017

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Sweden