OBSIDIAN TIDE - The Grand Crescendo

OBSIDIAN TIDE

Album: The Grand Crescendo

Genre: Progressive Melodic Death Metal

Release Date: September 29th, 2023

Country: Israel

Label: Self-released

Band Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

When I stumbled across progressive melodeath band OBSIDIAN TIDE back in 2019 I could not yet suspect that these fine folks would become one of those inspirational pieces that led to the formation of Mostly Metal one year later, for which I'm still grateful. So it was a great pleasure to see the enthusiasm for their work growing in our community, and of course the announcement of their second full-length didn’t go unnoticed.

For those who are not yet familiar with the trio from Tel Aviv: the band was founded in 2012, and already released an EP, “Debris”, as well as their marvelous concept album “Pillars of Creation”, telling the story of a man searching for enlightenment. On September 29th, they share their new record with us - "The Grand Crescendo".

Music-wise, they start with the kind of soaring vocals that already took my proggy heart a few years ago, then the opening track "Clandestine Calamities" grows more and more towards the chorus with the rhythm section and guitar joining. The bass lines are incredibly smooth, can be heard very well in the mix, and the guitar alternates between heavy, rather rough and absolutely mesmerizing, light parts, so do the vocals with a blend of clean and harsh singing.

This basic description would work for the following songs as well, even though it does not do justice to the variety in their compositions. Some melody lines have an oriental touch, which is also supported by the sound of flute and the traditional ney. The drumming is on point, varies from groovy metal to jazzy rhythms and back.

While this isn’t a concept album lyrically, the music feels like a great whole, with the songs rising and falling like the waves on the cover, which might be the reason why it's tricky for me to describe the single tracks or pick a favorite right now, but I would highly recommend to dive into "The Grand Crescendo" in its entirety. The music has a great dynamic thanks to the flowing changes in tempo and volume, well supported by the detailed mixing. Speaking for myself, it’s awesome to hear the progress they made over the years, further evolved their song-writing and playing skills, and refined their sound by giving up a bit on the heavy side, but adding more wonderful atmospheric intensity.

Last but not least, to see them booking shows around their Progpower Europe appearance in October makes hope that this album can bring them more well-deserved attention. Better keep an eye on their socials for not missing out the chance to catch them live in a venue near you \m/

Written by Katha