Ne Obliviscaris: Exul

Exul is the fourth album from Australia's genre-pushing act Ne Obliviscaris, the band that delivers a thought provoking and artistic take on death metal by incorporating classic, progressive rock, and fusion elements into their otherwise extreme metal framework. Previous albums Urn, Citadel, and Portal of I have been received quite well by fans and critics alike, and this latest Season of Mist release is no exception. The band for this album is comprised of:

Marc "Xenoyr" Campbell-harsh vocals, lyrics, artwork
Tim Charles-clean vocals, violin, viola, keyboards
Matt Klavins-guitars
Benjamin Baret-guitars
Martino Garattoni-bass
Dan Presland-drums
and:
Dalai Theofilopoulou (special guest)-cello
Alana K Vocal (special guest)-additional vocals

The epic length opener "Equus" gives you everything most love so much about these guys; the dramatic battles between the growls and the melodic operatic vocals, the soaring violin, the hard charging guitar riffs (which are almost black metal styled tremolo picked riffs), and the intricate drumming. Toss is a blazing guitar solo and you have an absolute gem to start off the album. "Misericorde I - As the Flesh Falls" is a furious progressive metal workout, lots of intricate riffs, fusion bass lines, and acrobatic drums flying about the mix around the blending of different vocal styles, while "Misericorde II-Anatomy of Quiescence" is just gorgeous, featuring haunting violin and guitar solos that perfectly complement each other and add a classic feel to the song. "Suspyre" also walks that fine line between classical, metal, and prog, with lovely instrumentation and some of the best clean vocals from Tim on the album, before the second half of the song turns into a furious death metal juggernaut. As strong as all this is, "Graal" might just be my favorite track on the album, a crushing progressive metal tornado with twisting riffs, complex rhythms, blazing violin & guitars, and well done back and forth between the two vocalists. Outstanding! The haunting strains of the folk/gypsy inspired "Anhedonia" takes the listener out in calming fashion, highlighted by wispy violin and emotional vocals.

Exul is a terrific album, but one with lots of layers so expect multiple spins before all the riches reveal themselves to you. Awesome cover art to boot-don't miss this one!

Track Listing
1. Equus 12:29
2. Misericorde I-As the Flesh Falls 07:33
3. Misericorde II-Anatomy of Quiescence 09:21
4. Suspyre 10:08
5. Graal 08:52
6. Anhedonia 03:42

Added: June 18th 2023
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 626
Language: english

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