Formed in 2014, Poland’s Obsidian Mantra have been captivating the death metal crowd for a decade with their groove-laden, technical riffs and black metal flavouring. It’s a potent combination and one that has cast a spell over those who have a penchant for the darker side of metal. However, for their latest album the band have refined their sound (without sacrificing their roots) and As We All Will should find the band bursting from the underground to garner some mainstream attention.
The sound of a wormhole opening to offer a brief glimpse of hell acts as an introduction to opening track ‘What Is Not, Is Not’ and serves a portent for what’s to come. Discordant and discombobulating, it instils a sense of dread within the listener, an unease that acts as a warning to the curious. However, if you’re the kind of adventurous soul who’ll step through that wormhole then you’ll be greeted by some of the finest death metal known to man. ‘What Is Not, Is Not’ is a raging tempest which swirls and attacks from all angles and much credit must go to Filip Hałucha who has given this album a mix that gives the listener a central role; it sounds as if Obsidian Matra are performing in your living room and the musical steamroller that is ‘Slave Without A Master’ will come bursting from your speakers at any moment. Subsequently, As We All Will is an album best experienced through headphones to fully appreciate its full dynamic range and subtle nuances.
While it is certainly true that you can’t judge a book by its cover (or an album by its sleeve), that which houses As We All Will gives a pretty good indication of the sound inside. This Polish crew paint their sound from a monochrome palette and encase songs such as ‘Condemned To Oppression’ in glorious shades of grey. If you want to know just how heavy three people can get, then you need look no further than any of these eight tracks. Like many bands who operate as a trio (Budgie, Motörhead, Venom) Obsidian Mantra create a sound that’s far bigger than their constituent parts. Guitarist Mateusz Witan doesn’t feel the need to scrawl his sound everywhere, by adopting a “less is more” ethos he leaves plenty of room for the listener to infer their own meaning which only adds to the album’s humongous feel. Drummer Mateusz Wróbel and bassist Kacper Kajzderski conspire to create a wrecking ball swing that’s propelled by a defiant groove. Kacper also provides vocals and delivers a devilishly good growl that’s in perfect sync with the demonic sound.
As We All Will is not the type of album you put on as background music, rather it is a record that demands your full attention. That makes the silence that follows final track ‘Weavers Of Misery’ positively deafening; where there was once a huge sound there is now a gaping void. It is a similar sensation to that I had when I first finished reading Arthur Koestler’s Darkness At Noon. Rick Rubin once said that you can’t play anything after Slayer, well the same applies to Obsidian Mantra and As We All Will.
- As We All Will is released by Via Nocturna and is available now.
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Track List:
- What Is Not, Is Not
- Cult Of Depression
- Slave Without A Master
- Who Will Become A Murderer
- Condemned To Oppression
- Chaos Will Consume Us All
- Sowers Of Discord
- Weavers Of Misery
