Obzidian-Obliteration Process
Midlands based raging foursome Obzidian's foundations were first laid way back in 2001, when school friends Barry Foster (guitar), Paul Hayward (drums) and Matthew Jeffs (bass) first professed a love of all things heavy, strapped on their chosen weapons of mass destruction and set about forming a band based on a love of thrash, during their formative years the band added a couple of members, but by 2005, the original trio finally completed their line up with the addition of Matthew Jenks on vocals. A couple of years on the band inked a deal with Casket Records and released their self-titled debut album which along with their 2012 release, Damned Eternal and a heavy bout of touring helped gain the band a fearsome reputation earning the opportunity to share a stage with the likes of Sepultura, Crowbar an Arch Enemy among others. Following on from the release of the band's equally successful third disc, Concrete Psychosis and another heavy bout of gigging the band have been hard at work in the studio, perfecting their fourth album, The Obliteration Process, an album that with it's eye catching artwork (courtesy of the award winning Very Metal Art) and it's intense metallic grooves should see Obzidian continue to help assert the band's position as one of the Midlands new breed, following in the footsteps of likes Sabbath and Napalm Death. The album opens with recent single Sins Here Are Purified and from the off, the band set about creating a crunchy, doom ridden groove, with a increasingly pounded drum and a sludgy Sabbath like riff, the band suddenly step on the power, with Jenks delivering a death metal like guttural growl whilst Foster, Hayward and Jeffs create a dense wall of sound akin bringing to mind Alice In Hell era Annihilator meets Sabbath and the sheer brutality of At The Gates and the Scandinavian metal scene that thrived a few years back. As opening gambits, Purify instantly grabs you by the lapels and shakes violently, demanding attention. Perish The Thought follows and proves that the opening was no mere one off, a hostile riff opens proceedings before that violent bass and kick drum thunder in view, whilst a possessed Jenks tears and shreds his vocal chords, an instrumental section, a handful of newsreel samples and a number of time changes prove the band know about structure as well as sheer brutality, imploring the listener on. They Led The Fall is a stunning three and a half minute, unrelenting thrash that sees Obzidian put their heads down and attempt to break the landspeed record with a unstoppable orgy of riffs and beats only weighed down by the thick bass throb of Jeffs. The album continues in much the same vein with the band pounding as hard and fast humanly possible, whilst Jenks ferociously hollers, growls and screams summoning the beast within, Desolate Creed is particularly worthy of note for the frenzied finale of guitar and sticks abuse. Body Of Mass Production has a glorious, almost chanted hook that should find favour with the headbanging masses, whilst Mistress Of Deception maybe slower but no less impressive as the rhythm section forge an intense foreboding groove before Foster layers on another crunchy riff as Hayward venomously explore his kit. Obliteration Process sees Obzidian ignite a fuse under the corpse of thrash metal and reanimating, with an infectious energy and a hostile intent, that should find favour with fans of both modern day metal and late eighties/early nighties thrash glory years, the Midlands metal legacy continues, safe in the clutches of Wolverhampton's finest. www.obzidian.co.uk