Obsidian - A Life To Fail - Song Review - Modern Ambient Progressive Metalcore from Nantes, France
Today I am writing about a promising modern ambient progressive metalcore/hardcore band, Obsidian, from Nantes, France, with their impressive song, A Life To Fail.
Obsidian - A Life to Fail (Music Video)
Mixed and Mastered by Fabien Devaux Directed and edited by Ferdinand Goor
Obsidian came to my attention some time ago and left a positive impression. A Life To Fail, their latest single, has been waiting for me to review for a long time, and I felt like listening to it for the first time today. When you leave aside all these, probably this is the song I am most impressed from the modern progressive metalcore scene for a long time, felt something similar to watching the new video of Animals as Leaders.
First of all, the song naturally distinguishes itself from others in the same genre and you unconsciously feel it. After watching the entire video today one more time, I was surprised by the numerous great things about Obsidian, and they all play a crucial role in this fascinating outcome.
One of the reasons that pulled me into A Life To Fail was the natural-sounding instrumentation (amp sound) that we almost don't hear happening in the modern metal scene. Although there's a possibility that Obsidian also took advantage of modern plugins and software sounds in their music, yet in the end, doesn't really matter as long as I feel this way.
Secondly, the song has a natural humanly rhythm and flow, even though the instrumental patterns are never standard, it immediately pulls you into its magical dimensional world. The levels almost touch the ground with their massive dynamic range from time to time, hearing every single detail with the intensity of every single hit, and the journey never loses the excitement all the way to the end.
Moreover, the composition has so much depth and character in it. The section where Obsidian keeps it quiet, the way they build up the energy, build instrumentals, and everything that happens throughout your listen keeps your attention alive for reasons like these. You feel like hearing familiar ideas from time to time while still wondering what Obsidian musically going to do on the next part.
Lastly, it is a collective of gifted individuals. Apparently, these French gentlemen come together and created something beyond themselves alone. The guitar player immediately caught my attention with his aged alpine white old-school JPM Ibanez guitar, young John Petrucci style, and guitar playing ability. Meanwhile, the drummer keeps the heart beating with his personal energy, adding so much value with his mesmerizing style and professionalism such as the bass player. And of course, the vocalist, who was one of the main reasons why Obsidian is most probably going to make a big name in the future. I appreciated his personal approach to vocals, sounded different from other "generic vocal personalities" we all got tired of in modern metal.
Obsidian, performing live on stageCredit: Insane Motion
On the other side of the coin, I've got nothing to add except the fact that I disagree with the art direction of Obsidian. The concept in their visuals are often used by other bands in modern progressive metal, have influences of futuristic, vast, spacy, and dimensional themes. I simply don't think it represents the music properly.
Obsidian, performing live on stageCredit: Insane Motion
When I put all these into account, I'd like to say that I had a fantastic time listening to A Life To Fail, earned its place in Metalhead Community's Strongly Recommended Metal.
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