Obduracy
We were recently contacted by Ottawa based Obduracy to let us know about their album, Sunday’s Autopsy, and to see what we thought. Borne out of a dedication to creating devastating, unadulterated metal inspired by a desire to mould an aggressive, unforgiving and genuinely evil sound – this is going to be something which you’re either going to love, or be scared half to death by!
Virtue and Vice sets the scene from the word go, opening with some dark and foreboding vocal lines, all building up and creating an ominous feeling that what is to follow is going to be terrifying – and then it hits! Guttural vocals combine with all out hammering riffs, pounding drums and all out aggression to create a sound which fills your ears with raw power, forcing your hand to that volume up button to the point that it becomes painful, yet awesome. Keeping a sense of groove running through everything so as to accentuate the heaviness even further, this is the sort of band which is going to destroy live venues, pull in punters and generally bring the world to its knees – and this is only the first track!
Enucleator brings about a slight change, returning to the sense of melody through the lead line which opens things up for us, crafting a sound which is going to bring them fans who might not normally be a fan of music this heavy. Throwing out pinch harmonics, hammering drums, roaring vocals and all out heavy break downs, this is the sound which I always thought described metal, yet could never find – well here are the saviours! My Faheeb compounds this further, opening over a rolling double bass pedal and launching you into a track which is going to have pits forming outside the venues as well as inside. Raw and powerful once again, this time the vocals range from more screaming styles through to the heavier roars which have become the signature of this album so far, once again crafting a track which is going to quite frankly astound you. Bellicose on the other hand is another all-out heavy track, hammering you in the face with the opening sound and not relenting until the moment the track comes to a close. Personally, this is one of my favourites from the album as it demonstrates the band style, so one to make sure you check out.
Interstate Murder Plot, Incinerator and Chaos, Hostility and Murder all follow a similar theme to the previous tracks, opening heavy but always retaining that sense of melody somehow, crafting tracks which aren’t just insanely powerful, but also catchy in their own special way. Raw and aggressive at times, the most noticeable thing which comes out of the music is how well it’s put together and how well-crafted all of the songs are, testament to the bands ability. Infectious Waste on the other hand is another track which will have you sitting up and taking note of the band, making you sit up and question how it is you’ve never come across them before. Soft and acoustic combine with soaring lead lines to introduce the track before plunging you head first into another adrenaline fuelled pit of devastation. Rolling drums, hammering guitars, sludgy and deep bass, roaring vocals and more power than you could shake a stick at, this is a serious high point on the album and another track which you need to make sure you check out.
Closing with Six Women and a Hammer the band have one last moment of all out aggression to demonstrate that they’re a band who should be taken very, very seriously. Insanely heavy and powerful, this final track closes the selection and leaves you not only with a love for the band, but also a real sense of fear as to what they’re going to do next!
Obduracy have taken a genre here and made it their own, something which a lot of bands try to do but few succeed. The band are heavy sure, but there’s also a real sense of melody running through everything, meaning that there is no foundation for anyone to refer to these guys as ‘just noise’. The music is raw and powerful yet thought provoking, designed to turn new fans to the genre and make people fall in love with the bands style – and I for one am a complete convert.
To find out more about Obduracy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Virtue and Vice sets the scene from the word go, opening with some dark and foreboding vocal lines, all building up and creating an ominous feeling that what is to follow is going to be terrifying – and then it hits! Guttural vocals combine with all out hammering riffs, pounding drums and all out aggression to create a sound which fills your ears with raw power, forcing your hand to that volume up button to the point that it becomes painful, yet awesome. Keeping a sense of groove running through everything so as to accentuate the heaviness even further, this is the sort of band which is going to destroy live venues, pull in punters and generally bring the world to its knees – and this is only the first track!
Enucleator brings about a slight change, returning to the sense of melody through the lead line which opens things up for us, crafting a sound which is going to bring them fans who might not normally be a fan of music this heavy. Throwing out pinch harmonics, hammering drums, roaring vocals and all out heavy break downs, this is the sound which I always thought described metal, yet could never find – well here are the saviours! My Faheeb compounds this further, opening over a rolling double bass pedal and launching you into a track which is going to have pits forming outside the venues as well as inside. Raw and powerful once again, this time the vocals range from more screaming styles through to the heavier roars which have become the signature of this album so far, once again crafting a track which is going to quite frankly astound you. Bellicose on the other hand is another all-out heavy track, hammering you in the face with the opening sound and not relenting until the moment the track comes to a close. Personally, this is one of my favourites from the album as it demonstrates the band style, so one to make sure you check out.
Interstate Murder Plot, Incinerator and Chaos, Hostility and Murder all follow a similar theme to the previous tracks, opening heavy but always retaining that sense of melody somehow, crafting tracks which aren’t just insanely powerful, but also catchy in their own special way. Raw and aggressive at times, the most noticeable thing which comes out of the music is how well it’s put together and how well-crafted all of the songs are, testament to the bands ability. Infectious Waste on the other hand is another track which will have you sitting up and taking note of the band, making you sit up and question how it is you’ve never come across them before. Soft and acoustic combine with soaring lead lines to introduce the track before plunging you head first into another adrenaline fuelled pit of devastation. Rolling drums, hammering guitars, sludgy and deep bass, roaring vocals and more power than you could shake a stick at, this is a serious high point on the album and another track which you need to make sure you check out.
Closing with Six Women and a Hammer the band have one last moment of all out aggression to demonstrate that they’re a band who should be taken very, very seriously. Insanely heavy and powerful, this final track closes the selection and leaves you not only with a love for the band, but also a real sense of fear as to what they’re going to do next!
Obduracy have taken a genre here and made it their own, something which a lot of bands try to do but few succeed. The band are heavy sure, but there’s also a real sense of melody running through everything, meaning that there is no foundation for anyone to refer to these guys as ‘just noise’. The music is raw and powerful yet thought provoking, designed to turn new fans to the genre and make people fall in love with the bands style – and I for one am a complete convert.
To find out more about Obduracy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls