ALBUM REVIEW: Nailed To Obscurity – Black Frost

Here I review the brand new album from German Melodic Death-Doom heavyweights NAILED TO OBSCURITY! Out now via Nuclear Blast Records!

01. Black Frost opens with some nice rhythmic drumming, simplistic yet with a tight punchy tribal feel. The bass soon joins in for crawling riffs that take the Doom Metal elements one step further. Searing guitars are added with feedback that drops into clean melodies with hauntingly gorgeous singing. The feeling of foreboding within the song is immediately strong. Some heavier guitars do come in but the song remains rather laid back in feeling, that being said it is filled with some stunning grooves and brutal growls that certainly make it feel heavier, while still keeping its melody. There is a slightly blackened touch to the catchy chorus vocals that I really loved. Melodic guitar solos elevate the piece but with a lack of pretentiousness, going for a much more subtle take. The pummelling assault of the crushing Death-Doom is absolutely fantastic, a killer opening track.
02. Tears Of The Eyeless churns out groovy riffs from the onset with a stampeding drum performance that together makes for some decimating instrumental work. There are some progressive flourishes to the music which certainly add to the unique and varied experience of the band. The clean singing and guitars that seemingly come out of nowhere took me by surprise, unpredictability to me is very important in Metal. There is some clear influence from bands like Paradise Lost on this song which is filled with life and really noticeable stages that keep you on your toes. The heavier parts are totally headbang worthy while we are also given bleak and chilling cleaner parts. Some excellent songwriting on this one.
03. The Aberrant Host follows up with more spectral guitars that really seem to howl with melancholy. The driven sections filled with groove and aggression that comes next is absolutely fantastic, with some really excellent riffs and a spontaneous punch of fury. The song surges through vast soundscapes with a range of emotionality and music being utilised to create its own journey, containing plenty of appeal for fans of most Metal subgenera. There are some early Opeth vibes going on in this piece that I really enjoyed and I think many others will too. The lyrics are gorgeously written with a stunning performance over a richly diverse instrumental section filled with precision. A crushing opus of melancholy and energy.
04. Feardom comes in with sombre guitars once again, the warmth of tones, immediately appealing. The dense waves of progressively intense yet melodic music is captivating with fascinating lyrics to enhance the experience. The pulsating drums and haunting guitars create a really spacious soundscape that feels isolating but also tranquil. This track was a really unique one with an array of emotions flooding forward from the band but seemingly balanced in perfect harmony. The guitars especially on this song were incredibly soulful and just beautifully played, while kept very minimalist. A very introspective piece of music and a great one at that.
05. Cipher once more feels immediately bleak and sorrowful with the way it sets in using just dismally chilling guitars. The building bass and guitars along with the subtle drum work creates something truly gorgeous with a really relaxing vibe to it. Crushing vocals and soaring instrumentals soon set in for a monstrously huge wall of dense Metal to hit us. The purely bitter growls of the singer mixed with the monolithic instrumentals hit incredibly hard, accentuated further by the clean sections, giving plenty of contrast and depth to the piece. This song was a crawling and ferocious journey that was paced to perfection, allowing respite but then tearing things to shreds. Absolutely wonderful!
06. Resonance continues with more versatile ambience and a truly depressive feel to the music. The obliterating walls of melancholy and ghostly, beautiful vocals are tense. The cathartic performance is a great one with the band truly taking things into a really dark territory, which may not be the heaviest, but is certainly the most anguishing song of the album. Everything is pulled together beautifully with a hymn like feel to the chorus that should not fit the song so well, but it does. The lead work once more is simplistic but gracefully elegant, really elevating all of the elements. Another great track!
07. Road To Perdition brings closure to the album. The blasting out of groovy riffs from the onset is a very hopeful start to this being the heaviest song yet. Some cleaner sections breaking up the momentum allowing the band to recharge whilst serenading us with depressive ambience. The decimating grisly vocals mixed with the diverse instrumental sections creates a bleak yet furious emotive piece that truly finishes the album perfectly, grinding us into pulp with the most progressive but also brutal song that was intense, gorgeous and heavy as hell, interwoven gorgeously. A fantastically grandiose way to finish off the unique experience that is this album.

This album has a beautifully diverse mix of melodic elements, crushing Death Metal and hypnotic Doom Metal, combined to make a chilling slab of emotionally tense and incredible music. The band have a very unique sound which somewhat reminds me of Insomnium mixed with some Asphyx and then a completely new twist. Overall I think this was a really solid release! -8.5/10