Obscure – A Sonication

Yes! I’m guilty! I forgot about one of the hottest releases of the year because life is a more complicated rollercoaster than an Obscura opening riff. I’m a huge fan—I love almost everything in the band’s catalog, which is why it’s going to be hard for A Valediction to top previous releases. I know many were divided with Diluvium, but I loved it; it was as if At the Gates could perform Tech Death (I’m not the first one to say this, so chill!). However, can the apex predator in Tech Death defend its seat on Metal Olympus? Let’s shred our way in!

Well, this is different! As in, I asked for a beer, and now somebody threw me a bottle of vodka to survive. Imagine Diluvium, but you slow things down and take a more contemplative approach to the songwriting. It’s still the acrobatic, mind-bending, and super-technical Obscura we know and love (some of us, at least), but A Valediction is trying a new direction—or rather, an evolution of the latest one. I’m not sure everyone will be on board, but I can respect that these guys have decided not to make the same album forever. That would’ve been the easy way out. I do enjoy the more emotional route the band has decided to take.

There are glimpses of brilliance here. “Silver Linings”, “Beyond the Seventh Sun”, and “A Valediction” are definitely the standout tracks on the album. They deliver the right balance between aggressive technicality and melodic creativity, generating an excellent sense of epicness that’s rare in Tech Death. If the whole album were like this, I’d have no problem giving it a 4.0/5.0. So, make no mistake—this isn’t a band running out of ideas; this is a band trying new things, which leads to more controversial choices, of course. I can hear all the things I love about Obscura, but also things I’m more skeptical about.

The easiest thing to say is that the rest of the material isn’t as strong, neither compared to those three tracks nor compared to the band’s colorful catalog. It ends up feeling more like an EP than an album to me. Since the material was more discrete, it felt like a first experiment before the band fully commits to the sound. But that’s also problematic because I’d argue that the complete experiment is already there in Diluvium and Valediction, with far more successful outcomes.

I’m not as pessimistic about A Valediction as other fans out there, but I do feel the band could’ve used more time to develop this thing. There are some amazing and almost touching tracks here that I wish were the rule and narrative explored throughout. Yet, this is Obscura we’re talking about, and even their weakest album in years is better than half of what I have to review every week. If you loved the previous album, then give it a try—you’ve got nothing to lose!

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release date: February 7, 2025

Website: https://obscura.bandcamp.com/album/a-sonication

Country: Germany

Score: A generous 3.0/5.0