OUBLIETTE – ETERNITY WHISPERS

(Andy Synn finds that the new album from Oubliette, out now, is far from torturous)

There are a lot of bands out there that I happen to think are over-hyped and overrated.

But this isn’t about them.

This is about a band who’ve yet to receive anywhere near the attention and acclaim for their music – a stunning blend of scorching intensity, soaring melody, and scintillating technicality which bridges the gap between Panopticon and Insomnium while still adding its own distinctive flair and flavour – which they so richly deserve.

And, I’ll cop to it, some of that is our fault, as although we’ve featured the band here a few times over the years, this is the first time any of us has actually managed to find time to sit down and give them a full write-up.

So let’s make it count, shall we?

It’s been six long years since we last heard from Oubliette, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the band don’t waste much time before showing you exactly what they’re about, with the sombre, Agalloch-ian intro of “Primordial Echo” lasting all of forty-five seconds before exploding into vibrant, visceral life – all electrifying riffs and epic leads, ably supported by a series of fluid, fleet-fingered bass-lines and pristine, powerful drum patterns.

“With Death’s Shadow” is, if anything, even better, its resonant tones and technical twists proving that while Oubliette may be a Black Metal band (although I’m sure some will disagree) they’re also in possession of a much wider palette of melodic colours and harmonic shades, with the song’s skyscraping solo ultimately achieving the sort of majestic musical apotheosis that makes any questions or controversies about the band’s genre status purely academic.

Okay, maybe “majestic musical apotheosis” sounds a little pretentious (or a lot)… but the truth is that the sheer energy the band have poured into every track on this album – from the instantly infectious torrent of tremolo that propels “Consumed by the Void” to the technicolour vibrancy and terminal velocity of blast-driven, synth-drenched closer “Vanish” – is ultimately returned to the listener ten-fold… which is why it seems pointless, to me, to waste any of that energy arguing about whether they should be called a “Melodic Black Metal” band or a “Blackened Melodic Death Metal” band, or whatever amalgam/arrangement seems most appropriate.

Sure, those who prefer their music to be as ugly as sin (and twice as raw) will probably hate it (especially the sublime instrumental strains of “Ember’s Embrace”) but those looking for something which hits that same sweet spot as, say, Spectral Wound or Kvaen (who I’ll be writing more about very soon) – or just something that feels a little less astroturfed than the likes of Uada or Blackbraid – should definitely give Eternity Whispers a shot.

After all, if the intricately arranged melodies and sheer intensity of songs like “Desolate Path” and the ridiculously hooky “Dreams of Nevermore” – both of which seem to absolutely fly by in the blink of an eye, despite being packed to bursting with a seemingly endless array of riffs, leads, and solos – don’t move you, then there’s nothing I can do or say here that will make much of a difference.

The proof, in the end, is in the listening, so what are you waiting for? Go listen to it!