Obscura (album)
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Obscura is the third album by Gorguts. It is recognized as one of metal's most technical and complex albums, consisting of many experimental and dissonant melodies, and strange rhythms.
The album was reissued on vinyl in April 2012 by War on Music, and again in April 2015 on both CD and vinyl format by Century Media Records. [1]
History
Following release in 1993 of their second full-length The Erosion of Sanity, the band did a European tour.[2] The band's return coincided with the decline of death metal's popularity, and they were subsequently dropped from the Roadrunner roster.[3] Following their departure from the label, they "started writing material for Obscura".[2] Gorguts also lost both their drummer and guitarist, who simply left the band. They were replaced by 'Purulence' guitarist Steeve Hurdle and 'Psychic Throb' bassist Steve Cloutier.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Chronicles of Chaos |   [6] |
William York of Allmusic categorized Obscura as "one of the most challenging, difficult albums ever released within the metal genre" and "a work of great depth and vision".[5]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Luc Lemay, Steeve Hurdle
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Obscura" | Hurdle, Lemay | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Earthly Love" | Hurdle, Lemay, Cloutier | 4:04 |
| 3. | "The Carnal State" | Cloutier, Hurdle | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Nostalgia" | Cloutier, Hurdle | 6:10 |
| 5. | "The Art of Sombre Ecstasy" | Cloutier, Lemay | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Clouded" | Hurdle | 9:32 |
| 7. | "Subtle Body" | Cloutier, Hurdle, Lemay | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Rapturous Grief" | Cloutier, Hurdle, Lemay | 5:27 |
| 9. | "La Vie Est Prelude... (La Mort Orgasme)" | Cloutier, Hurdle, Lemay | 3:28 |
| 10. | "Illuminatus" | Cloutier, Hurdle, Lemay | 6:15 |
| 11. | "Faceless Ones" | Cloutier, Hurdle | 3:50 |
| 12. | "Sweet Silence" (instrumental) | Cloutier, Hurdle, Lemay | 6:45 |
| Total length: | 60:25 | ||
Personnel
- Gorguts – producer
- Pierre Rémillard – producer, engineer
- Sylvain Brisebois – master
- Joel Beaupré – photography
- Alain Cloutier – artwork
References
- ^ "War on Music releases".
- ^ a b "Interview with Gorguts and Withered Earth". Smother. Archived from the original on June 19, 2002. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ York, William. "Gorguts > Biography". Allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ Sharpe-Young, Garry. "Gorguts - Biography". Rockdetector. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ a b York, William. "Obscura review". Allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ Schwartz, Paul. "CoC Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved January 20, 2015.