Omnivium is the third studio album released by German death metal band Obscura and the second album of Obscura's four album concept. The album was recorded at Woodshed Studio in southern, Germany with engineer Victor Bullok (also known as V.Santura). It was released by Relapse Records on 29 March 2011. The album is based on Friedrich Schelling's "On Nature's Connection to the Spirit World". Obscura released the track "Septuagint" to the public on 19 January 2011. The second song from Omnivium, "Vortex Omnivium", was released to the public on 24 February 2011. The limited edition album includes a bonus track, Read more on Last.fm.
(No review.)
Metal has been over-niching itself since around 2005, fragmenting a once instantly recognizable genre into sub-categories and sub-sub-categories until all hope was lost that anyone remembered how to make a cohesive, just-plain-metal record. ‘Omnivium’, at least, serves as my reminder that this is still possible. It’s no small feat to take elements that were once (and still can be) cliche and work them appropriately into a single record: the obligatory acoustic guitar intros and interludes, dual leads, blast beats, over-the-top solos, reverb-heavy melodies, etc. Yet, combined with interesting songwriting and great bass lines, these staples form something simultaneously familiar and new. While bands like BTBAM move the genre in new directions with technical *song structure*, Obscura reminds me that the ‘traditional’ precepts of metal may not be done just yet. (If I had to make one complaint, it’d cite the mix. It’s no black metal record, but the snare and bass sound a bit odd.)