Oblivious Enslavement - Beneath the Ashes
Minot, ND (pop. ~36,000) is hardly a metal metropolis, so when I recently visited there, I was surprised to see two metal bands in the “local” section of the record store. Turns out that the extreme metal scene in Minot consists of three bands, who share the same core personnel.
Void of DisbeliefEternal Decimation
Oblivious Enslavement plays a hybrid of melodic black and death metal that’s amazingly accomplished for having started in 2005. The Beneath the Ashes EP (self-released, 2006) has five tracks of twisting riffs and unpredictable structures. Carcass comes to mind in some of the harmonies, and the songwriting is fluid and dynamic, with subtle, complementary drumming. The production is a tad raw, but in a good way, and the bass maintains a warm presence throughout. Normally, “melodic black metal” means the same old minor scale, but the riffs often venture beyond that for some welcome variation.
Death metal is a bit stagnant these days, so hearing songs this melodic yet non-obvious yet heavy is a breath of fresh air. Very creative stuff – pick it up at Severed Head or via the band’s Myspace (and if you live in Minot, it’s available at Budget Music & Video).
