Obscura Amentia
“Ritual”
2012
Italy has no shortage of brilliant metal acts these days. The Italian invasion is in full swing and Obscura Amentia add to the effort with their 2012 full-length release Ritual. Ritual is this band second full-length and one hell of a journey. This is a deep and dense album full of some vicious traditional black metal with some progressive overtones thrown in for good measure. This is a very musical record that plays like a perfect blend of Darkthrone and Dimmu Borgir. The only two members of this band have the dynamic chemistry to make this work. Hel is on vocals. She has a raspy, biting delivery that is more reminiscent of early Norwegian black metal. She stays concisely great throughout. She is easily the greatest female black metal vocalist I have ever heard. Black Charm is on everything else. His fuzzy guitar riffs are very creative and he adds a great sense of power to each song through the fury of how he plays. This is a very dense album, but there is not a ton of variety. The songs never become boring. They keep a frenetic pace that is tense and consuming. These long songs know just the right way to give you an uncomfortable feeling as you listen. There is heavy emotion on this album, along with some thick atmosphere. This is a brilliant album the whole way through.
Tracklist:
1. The Citadel of Beleth
2. Mirror of Sorrow
3. Ritual
4. Lost in the Reflection of Moon
5. Mater Hiemalium
6. Descend the Chaos
7. Ominous Herald
8. Silence (A Reminder of Death)
9. Last Rite
https://www.facebook.com/ObscuraAmentia
Members:
Black Charm – Guitars/Keyboards/Bass
Hel – Vocals
Rating: 9 out of 10
~Kris