Review of Oblomov - Mighty Cosmic Dances

The Czech Republic is quickly becoming a hotbed for progressive artists who test and expand the boundaries of their genres. Oblomov play a form of avantgarde astral black metal not to be found elsewhere. It’s pretty damn interesting really; I can’t remember hearing anything quite like this for a hell of a long time.

Oblomov has the occasional folkish touch to their music much like the excellent French powerhouse Aes Dana especially on “Redefinition of the Past” which winds its way through carefully played melody and lugubrious black metal. The more traditional black metal offered of “Mentality Failure” and “The Plague” never let up on the quality of the music, but without the progressive edge of many compositions I don’t know if the album would hold up as well nor have the same awe inspiring capabilities.

Many of the non-experimental sections really fail to stick out as much musically as they could or should for a band that obviously has enough capacity to really separate themselves from the majority of black metal. It’s all well played, but the real moments of grandeur erupt from Oblomov’s more avantgarde leanings like on album highlight “Lost Between Emotions” and “Starsend” with their successful integration of a saxophone and experimental ambient synth work amongst other various progressive touches.

The vocalist never derivates from his black metal rasp that albeit doesn’t stand out much from the pack but he surprisingly avoids any attempt at clean singing. I don’t think I can remember hearing a bass player more clearly in black metal than on Mighty Cosmic Dances and for that I'm truly grateful. The guitars take a beauty through simplicity approach shown especially on “Nostalgic Idealization” and the compelling “Dreamworks” without adding many overly technical aspects to water down the directness of their attitude. The drummer is proficient, but takes a backseat to the vocals and guitars in prominence to serve as more of a backdrop than a direct force to be reckoned with.

I have no doubt that Mighty Cosmic Dances will grow on me with subsequent releases and fit snugly into most anyones' collection of black metal as this really is the type of quality release that needs time and patience to digest completely. I still think Oblomov is a bit unrefined in their delivery, but with time and experience they will be able to grow into a force to be reckoned with. Mighty Cosmic Dances is a hell of an enjoyable forward thinking black metal album that will sit well with any metal fan who craves their music to venture into uncharted territory.

Release Details

Oblomov

Mighty Cosmic Dances

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