Transcending Obscurity – Page 2 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Feral – To Usurp The Thrones

Swedish Death Metal has been facing some challenges lately, largely due to how overexposed the niche has become. However, at MER, we have a soft spot for the genre—after all, this whole blog started with it! That’s why Feral is being met with a little extra mercy compared to other releases. Flesh For Funerals Eternal was a solid effort back in 2018, so now the question is whether To Usurp the Thrones will bet on change or stick with consistency. Enough with romantic intros—let’s crank up the chainsaw and get into it!

Hell is Other People – Moirae

Let’s face it: Post/Black Metal has won the extreme music war. It doesn’t matter where I go; there are at least 20 Post/Black bands making everything around them a valley of tears and sorrow. That brings me to today’s guest, Hell is Other People. With a name clearly inspired by Huis Clos, I couldn’t let it pass! I love my Black Metal existentialist, and that’s what Moirae seemed to promise. Rarely have I been this interested in finding no way out of a painful situation, but that’s what extreme music does to the soul! Anyway, it’s judgment time!

Devenial Verdict – Blessing of Despair

In 2022, Devenial Verdict released Ash Blind, an album that was among the best I found that year. So, you can imagine that when I heard Blessing of Despair was coming out this year, I was more excited than the last time Transcending Obscurity did a “name your price” digital sale (I’m not hinting at anything for the future, of course! wink wink). Still, I also felt a bit nervous because we’ve had so much amazing Disso-Death this year that I started to wonder if there were any areas left to explore in the subgenre. Let’s see if Devenial Verdict has an answer for us!

Typhonian – The Gate of the Veiled Beyond

I’ve always said one of our principles is to give nostalgia a chance, even though we deeply hate leaning on it. Lately, we’ve been indulging bands that sound straight out of 1995. So, when I heard Typhonian was 90s-inspired with a Swedish Death Metal sound, I puked my breakfast all over my marble countertop—because, honestly, I can’t handle another retro album this week. However, The Gate of the Veiled Beyond promised something different, claiming to pay homage to Edge of Sanity—and I’m always down for that kind of nostalgia. So, let’s set aside our biases for once and check this beast out.

Officium Triste – Hortus Venenum

Most reviewers at MER have a guilty pleasure, and for some reason, many of us are deeply into the Emo Rock of extreme Metal: Death/Doom. So when something sad hits the mailbox, we all fight for it! Enter Officium Triste, a band that, in Hortus Venenum, is planning to throw a mix of misery, melancholy, and despair at us. All of this is wrapped in a melodic package that could make even the toughest guys cry. But does it succeed in reaching your inner traumas? Grab your pills, and let’s dive into this sea of denial.

Evilyn -Mondestrunken

I’ll give something to Evilyn—it has a cool band name. One that won’t make you suspect the ridiculous beatdown it can deliver. And what if I told you this is a “debut”? Could you believe a new band would compete in a year plagued with great Tech Death releases? Except Mondestrunken wasn’t written by amateurs. It features former members from Defeated Sanity, Psycroptic, and many others, which actually gives Evilyn the feeling of being a discreet superband. Cute, but Tech Death lives and dies by how exciting it is. Can this album stand out? We’ll see!

Monument of Misanthropy – Vile Postmortem Irrumatio

I’m usually honest with you, unless there’s some kind of profit behind lying to you. Otherwise, I always share my expectations. So, when I received the promo for Monument of Misanthropy‘s Vile Postmortem Irrumatio, I felt doubtful. Why? Because a Brutal Death Metal band singing about serial killers, psychological deviance, and grotesque violence is probably why the sub-genre was invented. However, I was puzzled by the fact that the band had cared to build a narrative in this album and that Transcending supported it, as they don’t support trash. So, let’s see if I was wrong!

Carnophage -Matter of a Darker Nature

Brutal and Technical Death Metal—those words should excite me, but in reality, we drown in promos claiming to be more savage than the last. So, when the “legendary” Carnophage dropped Matter of a Darker Nature, I thought, “Oh wow! That’s a cool cover art,” and that was that. However, I found the time to put my prejudices aside (as all of you should in life) and decided to give this dreadful creature a chance to smash me to pieces. Yay!

Diskord/ATVM – Bipolarities

I discovered Diskord by accident when they were part of Imperial Triumphant‘s first European tour. Needless to say, those two together have been the closest I’ve been to feeling under the influence of acid. I became a fan immediately and got myself a copy of Degenerations. As you’d expect, it was a degenerate experience that made me reconsider what metal was. Then there’s ATVM, which makes you feel just as high but takes a more technical route to success. Can you imagine the level of depravity that these two together can unleash? You don’t have to because Bipolarities is here!

Swelling Repulsion – Fatally Misguided

Transcending Obscurity has become the label for Tech Death. In whatever shape you like it, they probably have a band that can play as technical, as fast, or as disgusting as you need it. Enter Swelling Repulsion (nice name, by the way), an act that has a difficult task: to stand out in a year full of impressive Tech Death (see The Last of Lucy’s Godform or Replicant). In its newest effort, Fatally Misguided (just like you making career choices), the band is attempting to show that it has a different proposal for you, but is it even possible to get out of the comfort zone? Notice that Tech Death relax time is still the most stressful moment in the lives of 90% of musicians.