OBSEQUIAE "The Palms of Sorrowed Kings"

OBSEQUIAE

"The Palms of Sorrowed Kings"

'Tis time once more to take leave of this sad and shabby era and transport ourselves through music to the days of castles, lords and knights. Nay, the new HAMMERFALL is not upon us. Here we have something purer and nobler than mere power metal. Tanner Anderson has returned with the latest sojourn into medieval days through the latest OBSEQUIAE album, "The Palms of Sorrowed Kings".

There is no better band under the metal sphere exploring the textures and sounds of medieval music than OBSEQUIAE. This album is not tremendously different from the previous two OBSEQUIAE releases and I would not call this an evolution so much as a reinforcement of Anderson's unique approach to "castle metal". I do think this is the best produced and clearest sounding OBSEQUIAE yet. The guitar tones are sharp and clean and when the medieval harp is played, which is often, it sounds bell-like and crystalline. Tanner knows how to adapt medieval scales and chords to the metal realm...the result has touches of black metal (especially in his raspy voice) and echoes of THIN LIZZY's twin guitar harmonies. Cuts like "Ceres In Emerald Streams" and the title track have a haunting, time lost sound. Peppered throughout the album are instrumentals using only the medieval harp, delicately played by Vicente La Camera Medina. One can imagine lords and ladies decked out in their finery solemnly dancing to these numbers.

Despite the presence of the harp, metal is the predominant sound. :"Morrigan" has a fast and rather blackened sound while "Lone Isle" is quite heavy though still archaic in structure and "Asleep In The Bracken" cranks things up pretty well. 'Tis music fit for slaying heathens and storming ramparts. And if there is little advancement musically from past OBSEQUIAE efforts, that's more than forgivable, because who else is doing medieval metal the same way Tanner and his boys do?

20 BUCK SPIN

OBSEQUIAE