Obsidian Grave – Blood Of The Night

Over the roughly half decade of their existence, American Obsidian Grave have released their music through labels such as Atrocity Altar, Hatework, Perverse Homage and Death Hymns, and shared splits with bands such as Sanguine Relic, Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect and Lament In Winter’s Night. This has already allowed it to firmly establish itself as a band with potential from the explosion Raw Black Metal of recent years. But with the release of their second and latest album, ‘Blood Of The Night’, the duo manages to settle once and for all with all those who had hitherto doubted the band…

On ‘Blood Of The Night’ firmly stays on the same musical tracks that they started out with, yet pushing themselves into new heights when it comes to sound quality and overall song writing effectiveness. This new album sounds considerably more accessible than many of the band’s previously released work, but without compromising the original rawness and purity. The duo largely remains in their mid-tempo to faster range of Black Metal that has typified their previous releases but they now manage to draw much more from their own strengths and musical formula that not only makes everything sound far better balanced, but more importantly comes across as a lot more effective. The icy melodies and moody riffs come together and, as the album progresses, are increasingly merging into an almost ritualistic dance that culminates in an overall stunning experience.

While we cannot accuse Obsidian Grave of any denial of their roots, the band has overtly shifted in melodicism. The band is still firmly hanging on to the chains of Raw Black Metal, but in addition to its raw core, the band is increasingly excelling in melody, something we could also observe in previous releases, but this is a side of the band that is now more and more taking a foreground role. It is also clearly a side in which the band has developed in a rather impressive way, and it therefore definitely manages to hold its own in the balance it found between (tremolo) melodies and the more riff-oriented Raw Black Metal.

In short, ‘Blood Of The Night’ shows Obsidian Grave from a new, but at the same time familiar side. Personally, I got to know the band with the split 10″/cassette tape with Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect and have followed the band’s development from there and there is no other way to conclude that, although some fans may have already dropped out, Obsidian Grave is a rising star in the firmament of American Black Metal.