Citadel

It is quite surprising that Ne Obliviscaris, or any band ever, has managed to put out an album a fraction as good as Portal of I, yet here we are with Ne Obliviscaris’ second masterpiece of an album, Citadel. While this album is still not quite as good as Portal of I, and doesn’t boast an extremely long runtime without ever getting boring like Portal of I, it is still absolutely breathtaking, and one of the few albums I am always in the mood to listen to. The album is broken up into 3 monolithic tracks that are accompanied by interlude tracks, and while I would have liked a larger quantity of long songs, the entire album is so stunning that it makes up for it.

The first major track here is “Painters of the Tempest (Part II) : Triptych Lux. This song is easily one of my top 10 songs ever and my favorite Ne Obliviscaris song not off Portal of I. There are so many brilliant musical ideas that are so beautifully woven together. This song alone has 3 of my all time favorite solos on it, 1 violin, and 2 guitar. The riffs are pummeling yet melodic and emotional, the vocal melodies are top of the shelf, the harsh vocals are incredibly unique and powerful, the drumming is groovy as hell, and the bass is contributing interesting rhythms and melodies throughout rather than just mimicking the guitars. I honestly can not describe in words the way this song makes me feel. Every single, melody, riff, fill, growl, you name it adds something of emotional value to the music. I’m not even going to try describing it in even more detail, you just have to listen for yourself.

The second lengthy track is “Pyrrhic”, which is not quite as good as the other 2 long songs on this album, but when not held to Ne Obliviscaris standards is godly. The drums on this song are incredible, with Dan making seemless transitions between sections and providing the perfect rhythm for each passage complemented by his fills which never fail to impress. The riffing and harsh vocals are both exceptional and give the song a violent atmosphere full of despair. The lead guitar and violin melodies are perfect in tangent to everything else going on, adding to the sense of despair. There is a quiet section in the middle of mostly soft drums which seems odd at first, but transitions excellently into the emotional ending to the song with Tim’s beautiful and strangled violin melodies atop Xenoyr’s pained growls.

Finally we have “Devour me, Colossus (Part I): Black Holes” which starts off with a nasty riff accompanied by some evil sounding growls. Then before you know what hit you, you are clobbered by the absolute best drum groove ever, absolutely brilliant, and is further propelled by Tim’s classic emotional cleans and some crazy riffage. The bass dances around softly in the background drawing you in even more. The song proceeds to go all out with every band member going all out in their instruments, totally overwhelming you with emotion, then transitioning into a quiet section with some lovely acoustic guitar chords topped with an amazing violin solo. The solo gives in to a great clean vocal section with some nice bass work hinting at an up and coming riff. The song then explodes into sheer brilliance, and then quiets down once agin into a groovy bass riff. The instruments then begin to layer on with some gnarly riffing and drumming. Then we are hit with yet another god tier guitar solo which gives way to the finale. Beauty and the beast vocals close out the final intense track on the album oozing of sadness, hope and joy simultaneously.

The interlude tracks are all lovely and amazing compositions in and of themselves. They are mostly comprised of some drowned violin melodies and some piano. Part 3 of Painters of the Temoest has some of the beautiful chord colors ever accompanying excellent melodies.

Citadel is sheer brilliance and somehow satisfies despite extreme anticipation for Ne Obliviscaris’ second album. Every composition is emotionally bombastic with every note serving a purpose. Listening to Ne Obliviscaris’ music is one of the best experiences ever and I can not recommend this band and album enough.

Favorite songs: all of them

Brace for impact folks! It doesn't matter what you've heard before or what you enjoy. It doesn't even matter if you'll like this album or not. One thing is for damn certain: you're not seeing this coming and nothing I can write here will prepare you for it. Still I'll give it a go.

Ne Obliviscaris is one of those musical projects that stand out in every possible way. You can't find anything similar to what these people do. It's insane on all levels and a total game changer. As far as progressive music goes, it is on the very boundary of what has been achieved so far. Their second release titled "Citadel", is actually just three songs that sum up almost 50 minutes of mind-bending music. And in all honesty, it is so elegantly put together that it flows as one and you don't really have the heart to stop it before it ends.

From the very first notes you are drawn into it with "Painters of the Tempest (Part I): Wyrmholes", serving as an amazing overture. With a slow and haunting piano that gets shrouded in all sorts of symphonic string elements this sets a dark, menacing and mysterious mood. For three minutes this thing haunts you and when it ends, the chaos is unleashed. What comes next is a massive display of all extreme and progressive metal elements coming together at once. The sound is so full, yet so clear that you can hear every single detail of the madness going on (What can you expect from an album mixed by Jens Bogren?). It's just brutal, fast, heavy and technical to the bone. I find that all the musicians in this band have machinery precision even in the most complicated parts you could possibly find. I don't think I've ever heard an album that sounded this exact in terms of recording. These people must live their entire lives in the studio. Even the growls are controlled. Xenoyr has a very powerful but completely balanced tone, many of his screams sounding very linear and constant. You can only get a more precise and flawless sound if you program your entire album out of a computer. But that's what makes the performance in this one so unique. Despite the mathematical, precision, this album is not a tech-show. It is very expressive and powerful and it is made so you'd enjoy it. The math-obsession comes only to erase any impurities that might get in the way. And with that covered they're clear to get creative.

"Citadel" obviously aims for the "epic" sound. All the effects sound incredibly punchy and the drums are just phenomenal. And the variety in composition that is discovered through the three enormously long songs keeps things feeling huge all the way through. The drums are extremely tight and intense every time the sound goes big with a strong affinity for blast beats. The guitars go along with that with a lot of picking and speed and the bass goes completely on its own track. I actually find the bass lines in Ne Obliviscaris to be some of the most amazing and stand-out elements in all their music. And the violin shows up at times screaming in a really high tone with some technically intense yet very flamboyant solos. Growls top it all creating the "wall of sound" effects that I always love and that here, is completely unstoppable. That's one side of the album but if it would all go like that, someone would have to reassemble your brain by the time it's over. They give you breaks though. Some of the most important parts in the album are the melodic guitar and violin leads where the bass is allowed to wander about and the drums go groovy. It's also the clean vocals that bring a dash of color to the metallic blackened noise from time to time. And it can also slow down. Movement 2 from Triptich Lux, titled cynosure feature almost entirely clean vocals with mid-tempo melodic leads and grooves, taking a crescendo with growls towards the end and setting the stage for movement 3 (Curator) which is probably one of the most intense moments in the whole album. And it's the way these different elements are connected that makes the songwriting so amazing.

The concept though, is where they really whack your brain. Because there isn't one... although there is... but you can't really get it... even though you understand exactly what it's about. Didn't get what I mean? Good. I'm glad we understand each other. The main idea is that despite not being able to grasp a fraction of what the lyrics mean(all sorts of inhuman metaphors in there), they illustrate the mood perfectly. And that's just what you have to get to truly enjoy it. Take a look at the cover artwork to get your head around it. OK... that was mean. The point is that all the nonsensical stuff going on in that sick poetry usually go hand in hand with the music very well. They're made so you can create your own story in your head. They just give you a direction. Take Pyrrhic as an example. The first part sounds devastating and the lyrics are in that vein too ("Onwards, bright eyes and gilded hearts/ We rise and we fall/ From fire to ice, blind in defiance/ We race the sun.. "). Half way through, the madness stops and a truly dark atmosphere is created with a slow tempo drum beat being slowly drowned in screeching overdriven guitar sound that gets stronger and stronger until it suddenly stops and only the echoing drums remain. The same beat then supports a really long crescendo that culminates with huge guitar sound, screaming violin and desperate, tormented harsh vocals. Here the lyrics go like "Serpents of the earth, feast... my heart / I decay / Colder, cold... decay". Xenoyr makes all the lyrics, concepts and artworks for Ne Obliviscaris and I guess it's easy to see that he's a pretty disturbed fella. I kinda like that though.

Still the album isn't all negative. Despite being constantly dark, towards the end of "Devour Me, Colossus" you keep hearing the words "This blackhole ignites my world in bloom". I guess all the darkness eventually pushes you back into the light somehow. At the end it's epic and weirdly empowering. It's a great way to come around though. After it's gone you feel like you've seen a story unfold in front of your eyes. "Devour Me, Colossus (Part II): Contortions" is a reprise of the opening track and with that the cycle is closed. Honestly, I'm really not sure what all this is about but it's easily one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. And that's enough for me. Feel free give it a spin. I gotta warn you though... you're not seeing this coming. So really... Brace!

After checking out Ne Obliviscaris’s latest release ‘Urn’, I had to look into their earlier stuff. What anyone can easily notice when they give this band a spin, is that no matter how long you live, you will not find anything quite like it. The music is complex and impressive, with an intellectual print to it, while still transmitting genuine raw emotion. And they can never be labeled into a genre as they combine radically different musical aspects into a new species, alien to music that us, humans are used to. This was the impression that I was left with after hearing them for the first time that I heard them. Undoubtedly, this band isn’t something a progressive metal listener should miss. And ‘Citadel’ is the second release from the overly flamboyant Aussies.

After the debut ‘Portal of I’, there were a lot of expectations about whether this would be better or worse, and there has always been dispute around Ne Obliviscaris. They are defined by the undefined. What I mean is that because the music has so many different influences, it doesn’t quite end the phrase in any of its directions. This is definitely progressive metal, but not quite, as there is a constant rumble in the background, typical to a black metal sound, and so are the harsh vocals. At the same time, it’s black metal, but not quite, as many could see this album as an insult to ‘True’ black metal, because it is very polished in sound, very technical and extremely diverse. On top of this come jazzy and classic influences, the eerie cover artwork and the overly dramatic titles and songs of absurdly ambitious proportions. I mean, the whole album is just three ludicrous and enormous songs. It is easy to see how this could go downhill with phenomenal speed. But it doesn’t.

What you can easily guess now, is that people with fixed perception, will not accept such a record. You need to be ready for a challenge in order to put all the pieces together. The sound that this band is based on is a monster with multiple personality. They have highly technical riffs, complex time signatures, like proggers want to see, and the leads are just creeping into your soul. They have a clear bass sound and extreme metal grooves on the drums, alongside rumbling blast beats and double pedals. The vocals are both cleans and harsh, creating a perfect bipolar dialogue, and on top of everything, you find a violin that can be cheerful, mysterious, or even technical. What is amazing about this chaos is how all these elements intertwine effortlessly. Everything is linked together in an elegant and professional manner, and they have succeeded in not overdoing anything. If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around all this, take a peek at cover artwork. You will see something like 5 or 6 images on top of each other, with no clear boundaries to separate them, and representing different elements. This is the perfect metaphor to understand how the music comes together. It is like a jigsaw where all the parts are oddly shaped.

I guess what is not a surprise now is that this album is full of surprises. And no matter how much you try to anticipate it, it will still kick you in the face when you least expect it. Only in the first movement of ‘Triptych Lux’, titled ‘Creator’ you have 2 transitions from storming fast paced melodies to soft interludes and back. And after that, the second movement ‘Cynosure’ steals the show with only clean vocals and avantgarde jazz themes. Ethereal and powerful moments like the ending of ‘Curator’, or ‘Pyrrhic’ will come out of nowhere and have you reach high peaks of serotonin. Especially the second part of ‘Pyrrhic’ is probably the most emotional bit of the record, slowly evolving in size without changing the melody. Last but not least, the symmetry of the record with “Wyrmholes” in the beginning and “Contortions” at the end, featuring the same cold and haunting theme gives that last touch of mystery to complete the album.

Ne Obliviscaris is definitely one of these bands that stay with you. They have so much content in just 48 minutes on this record that it wears you out and overwhelms you. However, if you are patient and give it time, you will be able to understand what these masters are trying to send to their listeners. The way they have morphed so many different and unique musical orientations in this record proves what these guys are worth as musicians, and it is simply stunning how everything comes together by the end of it. To anybody out there looking for a challenge, I can only recommend this band, and I genuinely believe this album will blow your mind.

Enjoy!

Ne Obliviscaris came onto the scene with the critically acclaimed Portal of I, which often termed "beauty metal", combined black metal, prog and a solo violin to create an atmospheric but epic sound. The strength of Portal of I was it's ability to integrate the "beauty" into the "metal" smoothly so that it's songs typically followed unconventional structures, as opposed to the "quiet part -- loud part" format.

This is where Citadel falls short, in an attempt to create a magnum opus, Ne Obliviscaris fell into the trap of putting too much stuff into the album. I often find it hard to concentrate on specific parts of various songs on this album because the guitars are playing technical riffs while 2 vocalists are singing, the drums are pounding and a violin is playing. This is not to say that the instrumentation falls short, all the instruments are played proficiently and get equal spotlight time. The problem lies in that Ne Obliviscaris seem to have forgotten that less is more and that a more focused, subtle approach often leaves a greater impact. This comes to the forefront particularly in the Painters of the Tempest trilogy. To contrast, Devour Me, Colossus Part 1: Blackholes (what a mouthful), delivers a solid riff and is patient enough to stick with it before moving onto another section. There is enough in this song to keep things interesting but not so much that you cannot tell what the intention or mood of the track is.

Which brings me to another gripe with this album, mood. While Portal of I opened with a black metal track that slowly morphed into a rustic, violin laden epic, and then continued with this theme throughout the album, Citadel opens with a mysterious, sombre instrumental track only to burst into an aggressive track that seems to switch in and out of quieter, pretty sections at will. This theme maintains it's course all the way until the end of the album where it returns us to the mysterious, bleak theme from before. Because of this, I miss the overall tone of the album and what the band intended the general experience for the listener to be.

In a nutshell, Citadel makes no footfalls in terms of technicality or production quality, but rather in more the subtle aspects of album and song structure, tone and restraint.

First of all, let me say this - the hype surrounding this band definitely isn't unwarranted in the slightest. These guys are truly stupendous as musicians and happen to be undoubtedly some of the most versatile artists on the scene. And no I aint just ranting, listen to any one of their songs at random to see what I'm taking about. I have yet to hear their first album, but if this is any indication well then, just read the damn title willya? That should (hopefully) say enough.

So what do these guys play then? I'll be honest with you, their style is pretty hard to describe. An unnaturally grey and desolate area where progressive death metal, melodic death metal, symphonic metal and technical death metal meet with mournful folky touches on the maestro behind the violin. Okay i'd admit that wasn't the best description, but you did get the idea. And yes, the Opeth comparison isn't unfounded, they do take a chunk of inspiration from the Swedish masters, but not to the level of being a clone band. Just trust me on that one.

Not that this crazy mix of complex metal styles hasn't been done before, but these guys take that familiar established formula and completely and thoroughly rip it apart from the core creating something completely new in the process. Their sound sounds instantly familiar yet different and unique, if you get my drift. Well if you've already read this far, I'm assuming you do. Also amongst other things, the violin does help in adding that extra touch to their unique blend of genres.

One thing is clear; apart from being a fan of the aforementioned styles (duh), first of all, you definitely need an open mind. If you are a lover of all things fast and brutal and nothing else, don't even bother wasting your time here and go back to spinning your regular thrash and death metal classics for the umpteenth time. Those of you who are fans of multiple music styles however and have a fetish for the experimental, might find a treasure haven of progressive metal in store for your ears. The first song is almost like an introductory track with the violin slowly weaving the first silken thread in the towering web of sonic tapestry that is this entire album. The 2nd song, Painters Of The Tempest (Part II)-Triptych Lux explodes in your face in a haze of riffs and leads followed by some frenzied drumwork slowly but steadily leading to a gorgeous acoustic break topped by some soulful vocals only to lead you back into the metallic chaos. Other bands out there: The new masters just schooled you in the art of progressive metal. Hands down the best progressive metal song I've heard in quite a while.

The bass in this album deserves a special mention as just like in various offshoots of technical death metal, it acts as a separate instrument of sorts (a rarity in other genres) carving and paving it's own twisted melodic path throughout (Cynic and Death anyone??). Listen to the breaks in "Painters Of The Tempest (Part II)-Triptych Lux " and "Devour Me, Colossus (Part I)-Blackholes" and you'll see exactly what I mean. This guy is quite the underrated beast. Of course the rest of the band are no slouches either. The guitars, Oh the guitars. Apart from manic riffs and solos which weaves themselves carefully through the maze of acoustic interludes and spidery violin leads, there is almost an old-school meets new-school tech-death vibe in the finger-peeling axework leading to notable comparisons to genres stalwarts Martyr and Theory In Practice, as some reviewers have already pointed out.

Yes Ne Obliviscaris is indeed an apt name for the band (Kindly look up the meaning if you haven't already) and you can rest assured the jigsaw puzzle of genres that is this album will linger long after the last violin outro fades away. If only more bands took inspiration from this piece of art, we could be seeing the ushering in of a brave new era of extreme metal. Horns up!

Review originally published at www.teethofthedivine.com by E.Thomas

I’m a newcomer to Australia’s self proclaimed ‘extreme progressive metal’ act Ne Obliviscaris, but after hearing Citadel, the band’s second album, there’s no doubt in my mind that this act has to be one of the more special and ambitious bands I have heard in some time.

So much so, that I’m actually having a hard time putting into words what Ne Obliviscaris actually sounds like. It’s rooted in the more melodic side of tech death metal, similar to the likes of Gorod, Obscura, and some of Theory In Practice‘s twangy flourishes. There’s a touch of symphonic black metal’s theatrics and epic atmospheres. There’s proggy melodic death metal that reminds me of Disillusion’s Back to Times of Splendor. There’s a violin (integrated fully into all aspects of the songs, a la Hung), there’s synths, there’s Between the Buried and Me‘s sense of vast progressive scope and shifts (especially in some of the solos), and an Opeth-on-crack delivery of light and dark textures. The vocals are equally as varied, with deep and throaty Gorefest/Vader-y bellows, rasps, and svelte clean croons. Throw in songs that get up to the 16-minute range, and you have a truly ambitious band and release that has potential classic written all over it.

The heart and soul of the album is a three track sequence. The 2nd track (the aforementioned 16 minute one) is a 3-movement number: “Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux (Movement I: Creator Movement II: Cynosure / Movement III: Curator).” After that comes 4th track “Pyrrhic” and the 5th track, “Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes.” The other three tracks serve as instrumental interludes that bridge everything together, but these three centerpieces (which last 40 minutes or so) will blow your mind, as they did for me. After the intro “Painters of the Tempest (Part I): Wyrmholes,” the 16-minute “Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux (Movement I: Creator /Movement II: Cynosure / Movement III: Curator)” shows you what the album is all about with an absolutely enthralling musical journey.

It covers every element and influence I mentioned above. Tim Charles’s violin dances and weaves a classical tapestry amid the seething, growling brutality, and adds a calm sense of introspection to the track’s quieter, progressive moments.But don’t for a minute think that this is some willowy, wispy, wimpy release. When the band unleashes their swirling, twisty, tech death riffs and blast beats, they stand toe-to-toe with anyone, including the recent Unique Leader stuff. This progressive style has some real extremity to it, so the tech death label makes sense. It’s the way everything blends and melds seamlessly. For example, at the halfway point of “Painters of the Tempest (Part II),” you get one of these rangy, delicate BTBAM segues, along with a violin, but sandwiched in-between some really seething, complex and blackened tech death fury.

“Pyrrhic”, while the shortest of the ‘long’ tracks at a mere 10 minutes, features some of the album’s best moments, such as the gorgeous acoustic bridge. It’s around 6 minutes in and leads into a soaring post-rock peak and climax which is laced with Charles’s violin crescendo-ing in artful melodic agony. The 12+ minute penultimate track, “Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes” delivers a sort of Desultor array of clean vocals over blast beats, with some stern militant grooves, and a nice extended Charles violin solo before the track closes out with a really nifty melodic chug and climax. That also closes the album out perfectly before the instrumental end note “Devour Me, Colossus (Part II): Contortions” adds a nightcap afterthought.

Top notch playing, perfect writing, immense creativity, crisp production. Everything is here for a possible masterpiece album in the making, a rarity in the decades since the legendary 90s. Like Black Crown Initiate‘s recent release The Wreckage of Stars, Citadel‘s ambition my be its downfall. Many listeners simply might not want to invest fully in such a wide array or styles and lengthy songs. However, also like Black Crown Initiate, those who do take the journey might be witnesses to the dawn of a new age in extreme metal.

Stacked up next to the near-decade it took “Portal of I” to see the light of day, “Citadel” was chalked up and heaved out fast enough to make Mike Portnoy’s head spin. Just two years passed before Ne Obliviscaris created the follow-up to the long-awaited, much-anticipated debut. “Portal of I,” when released, verified the technical proficiency and dynamic chemistry among this extreme progressive metal band; a tremendous experience, one of 2012’s finest releases. “Citadel,” in contrast to the group’s debut, seems to be the weaker product. Not to stomp on the thing and laugh in its face as it cries in a puddle of its own urine, but there is a variance in quality. The gentlemen of Ne Obliviscaris, however, are incredible musicians of otherworldly talent; their extraordinary harmony is unquestionably a redeeming feature of “Citadel.”

However, “Citadel” almost feels as if Ne Obliviscaris cut down on the costs a bit. Half of the six tracks are serene instrumentals serving as introductions and conclusions to the remaining three songs. They are nice, tranquil bits that provide as satisfying an experience as brief instrumentals will allow, but these intervals are not relevant sources of quality compared to the trio of juggernauts running up all but a slither of the album’s running time. The monstrous “Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux” runs for over sixteen minutes, while “Pyrrhic” and the first part of “Devour Me, Colossus” ring up ten and twelve minutes, respectively. They are musical titans, encapsulating dozens of influences and styles that somehow interlock smoothly, giving a brief foretaste of the huge entity that is Ne Obliviscaris.

These songs are impressively intangible. Xenoyr’s growls, more guttural here than on “Portal of I,” and blast beats escort the abstract-bent black/death metal riffing, showing hues of guitar and bass work not foreign to certain incarnations of Cynic or Atheist. Again, the violin sections and solos are dramatically linked to the enlightened carnage in a way that should not work but does so charmingly, kind of like having a peanut butter and bacon sandwich (try it and see what I mean). Tim Charles has a soothing voice to either counter or match his surroundings, though his parts fit the whole picture with ease. Ne Obliviscaris has universes of creative avenues to work with; there are never dull moments in their constellation.

My only guff is that these tracks could be cut a bit, just a trim here and there. Sixteen minutes of abstract tapestry on “Triptych Lux” is a little much after the initial infatuation wears off. Part one of “Devour Me, Colossus” and “Pyrrhic” have their moments of sounding a little too fattening as well, but the tremendous moments outweigh the minor inconsistencies by leaps and bounds. To topple the seamless flow of progressive landscapes on “Portal of I” proved to be a hurdle for “Citadel,” although there is no shame in Ne Obliviscaris’ alluring voyage. They are talented musicians who have acquired a kind of Midas touch to the strange yet compelling abyss of extreme progressive metal; simply listening to the group in the most rudimentary sense is utterly enthralling.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com