Obscura “Sonication”

Label: Nuclear Blast · Year: 2025

Starting to yawn during the first track wasn’t exactly a great sign for the band. Overall, this album feels pretty generic, with an overly inflated sound. Heavy use of keyboards has been incorporated to make the production sound more polished and powerful.

While the guitarists can play solos across a wide range, I didn’t find them particularly creative since I’ve heard similar ones countless times in various technical death metal and progressive metal bands over the years. Compared to their early days when they were essentially feeding off Necrophagist’s plate, they’ve leaned more into atmospheric and symphonic elements on this album. You’ll hear plenty of Cynic, Death, and Muhammed Suiçmez-inspired riffs scattered throughout.

Personally, I didn’t enjoy the compositions or the album as a whole. But if you’re into overhyped, ultra-clean production and copy-paste technical progressive guitar work, this is definitely worth checking out.