O.B.E.Y

Romance of Misanthropy

Aggressor Productions 2006

This seven track CD from the London based masters of rough and gritty black metal, O.B.E.Y. grinds bones to dust with the sheer weight of its riffs.  Anger/Hunger is the initial salvo of primitive Celtic Frost-ish metal, muddy riffs and pounding drums.  At times it brings to mind Darkthrone's In the Shadow of The Horns though with thicker guitars.  Play To Kill Straight Away is menacing as meaty riffs throb and pulse with anger.  A despondent lead drips with sorrow as it contrasts against a brooding rhythm.  The drum bashing on I Hate You More Than You Will Ever Know barks like machinegun fire as more Darkthrone-esque black metal riffing is churned through a rusty blender.  An almost drone set of monolithic riffs confront the listener as The Yelling before slowly ratcheting up the tempo into single-minded Hellhammer devastation and mournful leads.  The title track unleashes a whirlwind of Nordic riffs that stream like a waterfall of ice down upon your frozen soul.  The song is brimming with cryptic atmospheres and frigid traditional black metal riffs which are reminiscent of Transilvanian Hunger in their obsessive focus.  Heavy, thunderous riffs fall like temples as the song draws towards its cyclopean demise.  DarVeter's vokillz are dry and sound as if his throat is choked with graveyard dirt.  O.B.E.Y.'s debut is a bruising take on black metal's harsh and primitive roots.  Somewhere between the archaic grumblings of Hellhammer and the mystical riffing of Darkthrone's early recordings.