To be completely transparent, I’d rather be mauled by a cougar than listen to the same John “Cougar” Mellencamp songs on the terrestrial radio dials. But ain’t that America? Or better yet, ain’t that Indiana?
Also, please don’t judge me; I sometimes enjoy torturing myself with the sounds delivered via the FM airwaves. The pain can be so soothing, primarily when you’ve heard “Little Pink Houses” or “Small Town” as often as you’ve witnessed the Indiana Pacers or Indianapolis Colts break your heart in the playoffs. For the sports-illiterate, that’s a lot.
The Hoosier State is synonymous with tenderloins, the Indianapolis 500, the Bob and Tom Show, and the dreaded singalongs to Mellencamp’s numerous yet disgustingly overplayed hits. Oh, and Tom Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane.” It’s not a terrible place to grow up despite its faults—essentially, the latter two traditions I just mentioned.
By way of Indianapolis, Indiana, Obscene conjures up stone-cold death metal—ohhhhh hellllllll yeahhhhh!
They’re malicious. Their sound is exactly what you’d expect from a group of dudes who grew up in a dull state (I’m from Indiana; I can make that joke) with nothing better to do than listen to old-school death metal records. Their journey started with the 2018 EP Sermon to the Snake, followed by the 2020 full length The Inhabitable Dark and the 2022 LP From Dead Horizon…To Dead Horizon. All roads—and the I-465 highway—have led to the band’s third full-length effort, Agony & Wounds.
To refrain from continuing to bury the lede, Agony & Wounds is ruthless from start to finish, polishing each attribute the band has continued evolving for the better part of six years now. Obscene embodies violence, and they’ve turned the knob to a ten this time around. Rewinding to The Inhabitable Dark, there was a grimness built upon a foundation of rawer production and stellar songwriting. Then, From Dead Horizon…To Dead Horizon, while less raw, drew back and clobbered listeners with disgusting riffs from Mike Morgan and a breakneck rhythm section featuring Roy Hayes on bass and Brandon Howe behind the kit, all like a Breaker of Worlds-era power punch from The Incredible Hulk. To top it all off, Kyle Shaw spewed forth shrieks akin to some kind of fictitious creature dying in the distance.
Regarding Agony & Wounds, it truly feels larger than life at times, and much of that is a testament to it being the most well-produced Obscene album to date. Each instrument is audible, and the sound is visceral. In some ways, From Dead Horizon…To Dead Horizon is a sister album to Agony & Wounds—they quite literally bridge together between the former’s final track and the latter’s opener. The first few songs, “The Cloverland Panopticon,” “Watch Me When I Kill,” and “Breathe the Decay,” continue the band’s early Asphyx necromancy. So, if you dig those records, you’re in for a treat from the get-go. Backed by blazing speeds, Obscene’s verse riffs are just as catchy, and again, Shaw’s vocal performance is almost otherworldly. Not that the sounds are similar, but if you recall last year’s Ascended Dead release Evenfall of the Apocalypse, you probably found yourself grinding your teeth to their roots from the sheer vehement delivery—you’ll find the same thing here.
Photo by Scott Wilson
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Tom G. Warrior “UGH” tribute on “Noxious Expulsion,” “Written in Blood and Covered in Flies,” and “Dressed in Corpses.” But that should come as no surprise—Obscene wear their influences on their sleeves, which is why you’ll also hear something close to a Morta Skuld or Morgoth album, especially on tunes like the aforementioned “Noxious Expulsion” and “Death’s Denial,” each encompassing a more hook-oriented riff construction. Hayes’ bass adds a nice layer here, too.
Much like Aad Kloosterwaard’s drumming on those old Sinister records, Howe’s work on Agony & Wounds is similarly critical. What Howe does so well on tracks like “Rotting Behind Madness” and “Dressed in Corpses,” is his attention to what improves the song rather than just churning out blastbeat after blastbeat for the simple sake of doing so. The fills are meticulously placed, and the grooves are top notch. Nothing comes across as too overbearing, even on the pummeling “The Reaper’s Blessing.” Another indicator is the groove-metalish patterns on “Oceans of Rot” and the closing title track. “Oceans of Rot” is the most simplistic death metal track on the record—in a good way! The finale, “Agony and Wounds,” is similarly paced but features some pleasant keys in the final minutes, almost like the soundtrack to your closed casket funeral after having your face torn to shreds for nearly 40 minutes.
Call me a homer, but this new Obscene album is everything I expected and more. Their latest effort is a stunner of a contemporary death metal record with old-school influences. Of course, that’s nothing out of the norm in 2024, but the band has carved out their unique spin and take on the sounds of yesteryear. The band nailed this one, from the production to the members’ performances. After record number three, the Indianapolis antiheroes have cemented themselves as heavy hitters. Stop wrestling around and give this one a spin.
Speaking of antiheroes, two weeks ago was the 28th anniversary of one of the most legendary promos in professional wrestling courtesy of the great Stone Cold Steve Austin. So, to wrap this up and in honor of that, I’ll leave you with this: After listening to Agony & Wounds, Obscene 3:16 says, “We just whipped your ass.”
