I must say that this has been a banner summer for Indianan metal bands. First Wraith came walloping us with their latest blackened thrash barrage, Fueled by Fire, and now a brand new album from death mongers Obscene? It’s as if they’ve lit a fire under the collective us of their next door neighbors here in Illinois, and we’re starting to feel the burn. For those who may not recall, allow me to refresh your memory. It was two years ago that Obscene came storming in with their last album, …from Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon: A monolith of meat and potatoes death metal drawing heavily from the Swedish tradition. Now these maniacs have returned faster, deadlier, and more brutal than ever.
Agony & Wounds couldn’t be a more accurate name for Obscene’s third album. It is indeed an agonizing and wound-inducing display of lethal barbarity from start to finish. The savagery showcased on Dead Horizon and The Inhabitable Dark (2020) before it is expanded upon in the form of more concise songs, sharp riffs, and unrelenting hooks, all of which are assisted by a raw production and diabolical delivery. In a world where extreme metal is becoming far too squeaky clean, sanitized, and overproduced to the point of being damn near neutered, Agony & Wounds is anything but.
The Entombed and early At the Gates-isms explored on past releases are revisited on breakneck displays of bloodlust like the opening “The Cloverland Panopticon”, misanthropic “Watch Me When I Kill”, and utterly ruthless “Written in Blood and Covered in Flies” (How’s that for a song title?). One can’t help but recall the chaos of Asphyx as well, especially in the nonstop balls to the wall delivery showcased on these faster natured cuts. Swirling riffs, blurring drums, and the tormented vocals of frontman Kyle Shaw collide to create a sonic effect that’s nothing short of hellish.
Contrasting these thrashing death outbursts are midtempo death-stomps that veer on the melodic. One could call hardnosed cuts like “Death’s Denial” and “Rotting Behind the Madness” palette cleansers if the atmosphere wasn’t so dense and suffocating. The guitar melodies again channel the aforementioned At the Gates, as well as early ’90s Carcass, yet without coming off as a rehash like so many in the death metal-sphere have for the past 20 years. Obscene take these influences and twist them to create a fresh and original, or in this case rotting and original, sound that’s undeniably theirs.
Even a closing death/doom dirge in the outro title cut doesn’t derail the unhinged lunacy that ensues throughout the course of this release. Assuming Molder keeps us waiting until 2025 for their long awaited third full length (perhaps that’s how long it’ll take for an Illinoisan counterstrike), Obscene may have very well released the best full fledged death metal album of 2024. It’s everything one could ask for from a release of this nature, and then some, taking absolutely no prisoners whatsoever. Not bad for a bunch of dudes from the heart of the Midwest!
8 out of 10
Label: Nameless Grave Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Asphyx, Entombed, At the Gates