Obscure Devotion "...Of Darkness, Death And Faith" CD

Obscure Devotion's second full-length album, the successor to their debut, "Son Of A Dayless Night," which dates back to 1999, is a black metal band heavily influenced by the extreme music school (primarily black/death) of the late 1990s. The production is not entirely contemporary, but it's clear and professional enough to allow for a full listening experience of the work's nuances without any excessive obstacles. For this release, Obscure Devotion tapped Handful Of Hate's ever-present drummer, Gionata Potenti, who delivers a decent performance. "...Of Darkness, Death And Faith" immediately stands out for its well-crafted arrangements, which ensure the pieces are just the right amount of complex, and is also appreciated for its dynamics. A slight Swedish melodic streak is present, although the work never strays too closely into this musical movement. The album is tight and fast-paced for most of its running time, offering some more thoughtful insights and moments featuring sporadic acoustic digressions. The good structure of the songs, the result of intense songwriting, ensures a decent underlying quality. If we were to find the most obvious flaw, we could note how the music presented here is particularly tied to the past, failing to truly say anything new compared to what was already abundantly expressed during the last decade of the last century. Nothing overly innovative or pretentious, therefore, but we are faced with an album that still manages to be enjoyable and enjoyable, especially for lovers of more violent and complex black music that doesn't disdain a subtle melodic vein.

Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=MSnJiTtaGSk