Album Review: Obvurt – “The Beginning” 8.2/10 (Brutal Death)

Written by Zax

  • ObvurtThe Beginning
  • Brutal Death Metal from Canada
  • Releasing on March 31st via Brutal Mind Records
  • 8.2/10

When thinking of genres that don’t really see much innovation, brutal death metal may be somewhere near the top of your list, and for good reason. I like brutal death metal, it’s a fine genre, but it’s not one that’s really adventurous. It’s gory, meat and potatoes, punishing death metal 99% of the time, which is fine, but it’s the bands that can think outside of that box that end up being memorable in the long run.

On that note, today we’re covering Obvurt from Canada and their debut EP The Beginning, set for release on March 31st. The members of this 3-piece band actually have a pretty beefy pedigree, with their bassist Oliver Pinard playing in Crytopsy and Cattle Decapitation, and their drummer Samuel Santiago having played in Gorod, First Fragment, Black Crown Initiate, and a slew of other bands. The real mastermind behind the magic that is Obvurt, is their guitarist/vocalist, Philippe Drouin though.

What sets this EP apart from so much of the brutal death metal that I listen to, is the guitar tone and the riffage, I seriously can’t get enough of it. It’s spacey and pitch black, with touches of dissonance here and there. The riffs twist and turn and melt over the listener in such a unique fashion. This phenomenal performance became even more impressive when, after several listens through, I finally took the time to read their bio (you know it’s serious if it can get me to read a bio, I never read bios.) Turns out, Philippe was in a car accident back in 2016 that permanently damaged the dexterity in his right hand, but determined to keep playing, he bought a left-handed guitar and adapted to it. Imagine learning to play guitar this well with your non-dominant hand, that’s badass!

Artwork by Jon Zig

Aside from that, everything else on the album is top notch too. The drum performance is ravenous with the impenetrable blastbeats and sick arrangements. The bass lines are deep, smooth, and melodic, and the vocals are absolutely filthy. The gutturals are gnarly as hell. It’s like late Dying Fetus meets Defeated Sanity, fucking monstrous.

This is a very short project, but I expect a pretty noteworthy future for these guys, cause this is stellar material. Don’t miss it on March 31st.

8.2/10

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