Obscureviolence – Refuting The Flesh Review

The world of black/death metal (which isn’t to be confused with blackened death metal, I think…) has loved its black and red album art ever since Fallen Angel of Doom…. dropped the first of its zillion pressings way back in 1990. But the ratio is typically far more black than red (or white), something that might have been lost on Russia’s Obscureviolence as they put together the album art for debut EP Refuting the Flesh. Or maybe they wanted to hint at that musical association while providing a bit of a… twist!

Because while Refuting the Flesh is absolutely “black/death” metal at its core in that it is a combination of black and death metals, it’s pretty different from the Blasphemy clones that typically shove something black and white and red all over into your playlist. But first, the ways in which it is similar, starting with the black metal aura that pervades much of it, giving the deep guttural vocals an inhuman setting in which to live. Then there’s the blasts. Obscureviolence like their blasts. They really like their blasts, and oftentimes those blasts are hammered in the incessant way most associated with war metal, over a guitar and bass wall of sound meant more to suffocate than move asses.

The difference is that Obscureviolence spends a good amount of their time in the business of moving said asses through heaps of Morbid Angel-ish riffs, big time grooves, brutal hooks, and a rubber-bandy bass sound that is almost as percussive as the drums themselves (seriously, the bass sound is just tip top). Different ears will likely hear bits of everyone from Angelcorpse and touches of the thumpier side of Vader to Ulcerate and the earliest Bolt Thrower in the riffage. The band’s tendency towards rather gargantuan and thick riffs makes for a fun contrast to the atmosphere and war metal hammering, especially when the solos can shift between unholy divebomb nonsense (that’s meant in the best way) to effectively melodic. At equal times you feel like you’re being damned to horrors unknown and left to slide around in the riffy grease. Listen for the latter in “The Absurdity of Existence” as the drums blast and roll and basically empty out their whole toolbox to maximize the fun.

It’s an effective mix, and one that should service Obscureviolence well as they further develop their songcraft and identity. Rule number one is always to bring the riffs, after all, and Refuting the Flesh comes correct in that department.