Music Banter - View Single Post - 12 For '12: Anteater's Top Albums Of 2012

Anteater · 12-26-2012, 10:05 AM

5. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

When your name translates from Latin vulgate into "Do Not Forget', uncertainty abounds before you even attempt to dive into Australian black metal newcomers Ne Obliviscaris. Preliminary research would show you that they, along with Sydney tech-death band Ouroboros, received a sizable grant (about 20K each in fact) from the Australian government for recording purposes and whatever else they require. Putting the information in context with this review, its a miracle that Portal Of I came out at all: the band had been trying for years to get it off the ground, but thanks to government support and recognition they were able to bring this fantastic record to life for the benefit of guys like you and me. Very inspiring stuff!

Vocally, there is wonderful contrast throughout: we have a combination of voracious snarling courtesy of Xenoyr and the high soaring tenor of violinist Tim Charles. And this contrast doesn't just include mic tag teaming: the songs themselves pass back & forth along a chromatic divide between melody and dissonance. Sometimes you'll have a gregarious guitar solo sear the horizon while the earth crumbles below to the blast-beating force of the drums and bass, and other times you find yourself enraptured by what happens when the metal elements are dropped completely. 'Tapestry Of The Starless Abstract', for instance, features a drop dead gorgeous middle section where acoustic guitar, melancholic violin and eerie patches of synth muse together at sundown before the violence surges back in for the final five minutes.

Many a black metal band has reaped the benefits from a gradual shift into more multifaceted sonic frameworks that draw upon sophisticated jazz and classical elements in other genres, but Ne Obliviscaris have already eclipsed most of them as far as sheer finesse goes in the space of a single, insanely well conceived debut release.

Being progressive doesn't mean alternating your elements or shoehorning in uncharacteristic "whacky" genre-bending interludes between 50 minutes or so of aural pummeling: it's bringing in little bits and pieces of everything all at once, letting the overall result speak for itself....and from that perspective, this band is already right on track to redefining black metal as we know it. If they didn't make my top 2012 list, then something would have been really, really, really wrong.