apanthropy

Obscurity
Ascheregen
Trollzorn Records
To Be Released: January 29th, 2026

Rating: 8/10

“Releasing ten albums is a milestone for any extreme metal band. ‘Ascheregen’ doesn’t play or feel like a tenth album. There’s a vitality here that is reserved for modern bands, not those who started in the late 1990s, the songwriting mechanics, the delivery, and the physical intensity of the music resembles a band performing in their prime. While Viking and Pagan metal encompass such a broad expanse of sonic territory, Obscurity firmly occupy a frontline fighting position, sticking with engaging melodic death metal, no frills, no theatrics, just compositions of triumphant power. An improvement over their previous effort, the already strong ‘Skogarmaors’, and a far more interesting listen than what bands like Amon Amarth are producing these days. If you want heavy, direct, melodic death metal within the Pagan theme, move ‘Ascheregen’ to the top of your list.”

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1 – Initium Dekadentiae
2 – Flammentaufe
3 – Schwur
4 – Blutgebet
5 – Dreifaltigkeit
6 – Ascheregen
7 – Ketzerjagd
8 – Läuterung
9 – Bekehrung
10 – Runenwinter
11 – Rúnar Víg
12 – Dystopie und Schwanengesang
–

Viking metal, the concept of pagan metal as a whole, isn’t a particularly complex concept in terms of heavy metal, but it is difficult to cleanly define because of how diverse the tonal palette is for the sub-genre. There really is no limit as to what can be put into a composition under those terms, some incorporate folk, others incorporate death metal, some strive for atmosphere, others for immediacy. Obscurity excels at consistency, an unwavering blend of melodic black metal and melodic death metal, dating back to 1997. Nine albums, in near perfect succession, no breaks, no EPs, no live albums, no splits, just an unbroken fighting line of full-length recordings.

Their newest release, the tenth of their discography, Ascheregen, is due out January 29th through Trollzorn Records. 12 new tracks, clocking in at 50 minutes of material, Obscurity deliver a strong performance, one that expertly fuses elements of black metal and death metal, coming together into a strong central melodic core that serves as the driving component of each track. Strong central melodies are surrounded by a rhythmic battery of intense percussion with the other guitar tracks engaged in supporting and highlighting the primary phrases, through explorations into melodic death metal and thrash metal-style riffing. Sometimes there is a post-black metal feel to some of the chord progressions and chord voicings used throughout Ascheregen, giving a windswept and epic feel to the flow of the songs. There are many components and many extensions to the primary conveyance, Obscurity did not simply settle for one avenue of sound.

The opening track, ‘Initium Dekadentiae,’ immediately establishes a strong single-note tremolo lead melody that breaks into a powerful, progressive onslaught of chords. The voicings and their movements create triumphant force, a feeling of energy. These are not simply perfect fifths and fourths, there is more intricacy and feeling present, there was a great deal of thought put into the riff crafting, it roars with power and the production amplifies it. The rolling double-bass and frontal vocals merge with wiry distorted bass to create a living wall of sound, breaking on occasions through bridges or slower phrases, always in support to the central melodic theme, always forcing it into the center of the sound. It is simply good songwriting mechanics. There are no loose ends, no strange resolutions, and no straying from convention.

‘Schwur’ is a great example of the melodic death metal elements at work. It is distinctively European, something other global scenes just simply can’t replicate, an atmosphere to the riffs, and sensation of the epic, a windswept feeling, the fluidity leads into different stages of restraint and full-on death metal. Thundering double-bass early in the song contrasts with the crystalline clean guitars that close the track, with a myriad of techniques in between including a bridge that feels more like modern heavy metal and machine-gun blast beats invoking raw death metal at times.

‘Läuterung,’ a track deep into the album, is a great example of tracks late in the experience that are well-constructed, heavily dynamic, and engaging. With a 50-minute full-length, in modern times where people can barely pay attention for a minute, it is necessary to carry momentum through the record and to have strong songs towards the end of the record to make the whole experience worthwhile. The early portion of ‘Läuterung’ invokes a powerful atmosphere, and its central motif is a mechanism deployed throughout multiple parts of the track, it could be argued this is most atmospheric track on Ascheregen.

Immediately following it, ‘Bekehrung,’ is quite possibly the most directly heavy song on the record, once again showing a level on consistency that most bands just will not and cannot match. At some point, a listener would expect a weak track or a drop off in intensity, some foray into a different palette of tones, something that would weaken the record, but it simply doesn’t happen on Ascheregen, the entire record from front to back is a purely methodical and finalized approach and execution.

Production on Ascheregen is modern, clean, and dynamic. Guitars rip and blare on ringing chords, tremolo melodies are sharp and angular, and palm-muting possesses a mid-range punch. The voicings and details of each progression are crystal clear and the tone itself isn’t some over-the-top signal booming with overdrive or distortion, its subtle and clean, yet very prominent and powerful. Bass is tastefully distorted with some fills cutting through the mix and periods in which it gets to shine more on its own. Percussion is bombastic, wide and proud, rolling double-bass passages and blast beats give way to slower measures where tom work and cymbals shine across both audio channels. Vocals, the element that aligns most with black metal, never become overpowering and never crowd out the guitars or drums from the mix.

Releasing ten albums is a milestone for any extreme metal band. Ascheregen doesn’t play or feel like a tenth album. There’s a vitality here that is reserved for modern bands, not those who started in the late 1990s, the songwriting mechanics, the delivery, and the physical intensity of the music resembles a band performing in their prime. While Viking and Pagan metal encompass such a broad expanse of sonic territory, Obscurity firmly occupy a frontline fighting position, sticking with engaging melodic death metal, no frills, no theatrics, just compositions of triumphant power. An improvement over their previous effort, the already strong Skogarmaors, and a far more interesting listen than what bands like Amon Amarth are producing these days. If you want heavy, direct, melodic death metal within the Pagan theme, move Ascheregen to the top of your list.

Label: Trollzorn Records
Band: Obscurity

AJK