Labels: Darkness Shall Rise Productions
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 27 Feb 2025
Tracklist:
1. Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors
2. At My Funeral (Sigh cover)
After a week away, losing track of time and days, I'm feeling truly refreshed. I pretty much ignored all the usual trappings of modern life (where possible), in favour of walking, fresh air and family time. Having a few more days until reality bites again means that I can get back into writing and as it's the 1st of May (well, it was at the time of writing this) there's no better time to do it!
Coming to the end of my current "loose" review schedule means that I get to shine a light on some newer and more obscure bands beginning with German doom/death act Obsidian Scapes. Their debut EP was released back in February via fellow German label Darkness Shall Rise Productions, acting as a precursor to their first full-length album, which is set for release next month. Consisting of an original track called 'Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors' (that appears on the aforementioned album) and their own take on the song 'At My Funeral', which was originally released by Japanese avant-garde black metal band Sigh.
As cyclical as extreme music is, death metal continues (for now) to take centre stage. Doom in it’s various forms currently dwells in the background, though that may be about to change. Obsidian Scapes are helping to lead the charge for low and slow bands in 2025 and it’s easy to see why. ‘Endless Sea Of Dead Mirrors’ is teeming with downtempo and downtrodden instrumentation, as well as tortured vocals. While slower tempos command a lot of space throughout this song, there’s also a layer of faster musicianship and even some semi-melodic vocals that might remind you of The Blackening-era Machine Head (apologies if my comparison is off here!).
While that original composition from Obsidian Scapes really hits a high bar musically, their cover of ‘At My Funeral’ by Japanese band Sigh was always going to be a tough one to pull off given their English language preference. It works well, especially with the addition of off-kilter tempos and keyboard-like melodies. Honestly, it’s a welcome escape from the constant blasting death metal that’s filling the underground airwaves at the moment.
Obsidian Scapes have set their stall out early and in doing so, they’ve shown how exciting their music is. This is evidence of what’s to come on their debut album. In a time when bands need to differentiate themselves from others, Obsidian Scapes have given themselves an immediate launchpad. Great stuff.
You can stream and purchase the EP digitally via Bandcamp below:-
Obsidian Scapes - https://www.facebook.com/profile
Physical copies can be purchased from Darkness Shall Rise Productions here:- https://darknessshallrise.de/
Darkness Shall Rise Productions - https://www.facebook.com/darknessshallriseproductions
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