Thursday, December 19, 2013

Obsidian Kingdom



Obsidian Kingdom are a Barcelona based band with black metal roots.  What sprouts beyond that, is a sombre and unique amalgamation of electronic, acoustic, rock/folk music with diverse vocalization, and above all solid song structure that doesn't adhere to any blueprint.  Simply put, I was blown away on first listen.

I went in reverse with their discography, starting with their latest remix album 'Torn & Burnt', an electronic/dub/hip-hop/IDM reworking of much of their 2012 BM album 'Mantiis'.  Anyone reading 'black metal' alongside dub/hip-hop/IDM would likely throw their Burzum mugs at the wall, and myself I was baffled the same, but the remixes handled by Oktopus (Dälek), Subheim, Poordream, Necro Deathmort, Jr Morgue, Drumcorps, Larvae and Mothboy really made me rethink electronic music and black metal in general, if not for the wonderful surprise that the merger is a lot better than one would think.

For the potential purists, their 2012 framework 'Mantiis' has to be the most overlooked BM/metal work of last/this year.  I'm not entirely in the thick of it (BM), but I've ventured deep enough to know that this entry is entirely special, and paired with their remix album, Obsidian Kingdom are a truly unique and enjoyable contribution to either side of the coin.

Speaking of coin, if you dig this, help keep the word going -- all their stuff can be downloaded for free but these are seriously sweet.











Mantiis [2012]





Torn & Burnt [2013]




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