AN NCS PREMIERE: REQUIEM FOR OBLIVION — “BURNING NATION”

 

The song you’re about to hear is both an eye-popping mind-bender and a big adrenaline trigger. It’s so multifaceted and so constantly surprising that it’s likely to leave most listeners exclaiming, “WTF did I just hear?!?,” and then hitting the Play button again without delay.

The song is the title track to Burning Nation, the second full-length by a band from Erie, Pennsylvania, named Requiem For Oblivion. It will be released on June 9th.

 

 

The band was launched by California ex-pat Steve Jacobson as a solo project but has evolved into a full group of experienced musicians who have dedicated themselves “to brutality, technicality, and dynamics”, creating a fusion of technical and progressive death metal that would put a smile on Chuck Schuldiner’s face if he were still with us.

A big part of this new song’s fascination is rooted in the unusual array of sounds it encompasses. Given the capabilities of modern guitar effects technology it’s hard to know for sure what instruments are being used, but it sounds like a banjo is in there at the outset, and later on you might think a pair of saxes have entered the fray. To these ears, even the snare tone is unusual — and there’s more, but you’ll find out for yourselves.

Apart from the array of unusual sounds, the song is remarkable for other reasons. It combines a torrent of abrasive, darting riffs and leads with a molten bass that bubbles and boils, and a versatile drum attack. It drives like an out-of-control freight train that happens to be as agile as a cheetah. And while the instrumentalists are vaulting and veering with neck-snapping precision, the lyrics are being methodically (and tyrannically) voiced in a deep and monstrous growl (which eventually rises up in a fury).

But perhaps the biggest surprise in this dynamic track comes when the music suddenly slows, the guitar turning limpid and liquid, backed by a jazzy snare rhythm, and followed by those arpeggios that resemble a sax. And somehow that interlude doesn’t seem out of place despite how brutal and exuberantly head-twisting the rest of the song is.

 

As noted at the outset, Burning Nation is set for release on June 9th. Pre-order and Facebook links are below, followed by the track list and our song premiere. Hope you dig it as much as I have.

Pre-order:
https://requiemforoblivion.bandcamp.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RequiemForOblivion

Track List
1. Fuckisil
2. Shards Of Glass
3. Trench Battle Chaos
4. Death Legion
5. Burning Nation
6. The Alpha, The Omega
7. I Am Myth
8. Disguised

 

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