Chuck Schuldiner Project

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Sanity Obscure-Subterranean Constellations



Sanity Obscure is a new band from Singapore with an awesome sound. They were produced by Colin Marston (the lord of the Warr Guitar) and have members of Gorguts and Yakuza guesting on their debut album Subterranean Constellations. With a sound that is equal parts tech death and old school death these guys get an Atheist feel while keeping it fresh. The guitar playing is stellar with a ton of sick riffs. I really like some of the bass riffing here too. The drums are brilliant and feature some really cool fills that provide a great depth to the music. Last of all, the vocals are dark and powerful and have a real might behind them. In short, Sanity Obscures' debut album shows a brilliant band about to make it big.

The guitar work on this record will blow your mind. Once again breaking free from the djent scene it's thrilling to see a young non-djent band that is still super technical or just completely atonal and experimental. The riffing is heavy and tasty and filled with all sorts of good licks. I particularly like the crazy rhythms on the track Synergistic Permutations. They show what the guitarist is really capable of. The solos are also pretty mindblowing and the best one's will leave you shocked at what you just heard. Here is a guitarist who quite clearly has some jazz training yet manages to use it very well in a metal context. He truly makes this record fascinating. Its really cool to here all the layers in his playing and some of the compositions are simply mindblowing. In short, this is some pretty awesome modern metal guitar.

I really like how the bassist gets to truly shine on this record. His rhythm playing is punchy and sick and truly brutal. On songs like Doublethink the punchy bass work really shines and proves that this bassist can do literally anything with the instrument. I love his crazy riffing and how at times he almost seems to be a lead instrument. My favorite bass track is on Hyperboreas where we see the bassist truly shine. The drumming on this record reminds me distinctly of the one in Dysrhythmia. His playing has a truly weird quality to it. Yet somehow it works. It makes the songs extremely interesting and shows off the skill of the drummer. The rhythms here are unique but somehow hold the band together. He truly makes this band fascinating to listen too. All in all the rhythm section of Sanity Obscure is excellent and very unusual, they make some very unique sounding music.

Finally we have the vocals. The singer of this band has a very interesting anger to him. There is an aggression, a hatred, that is hard to match. This hatred captures the aura of the old school death metal greats like Death and Atheist. I love the raw brutality of his singing. He really knows how to rock. With a growl that is almost percussive at times he manages to stir up a Meshuggah feel on some of the more experimental tracks. Lyrically this band is pretty far out. Songs like Patient Zero and Afflicted Mind show some particularly interesting concepts. In addition Rise of the Machines almost makes me think of Terminator yet brought closer to home. Overall, this album is a triumph both vocally and lyrically and will leave you wanting more.

To finish Sanity Obscure has released a simply mind ripping debut album. There is a little of everything here and you are going to die from wanting more. With sick solos and rhythms the guitar leads the charge. Then the heavy bass work featuring some very punchy and tasty lines provides a great backdrop for the bands' sound. The drum work will just make you shake your head. The playing is just so unique. It's hard to grasp everything that he does. Finally the vocals are angry and evil sounding. They get the Old School ethos down pat while combining it with something new and unique of their own. All tied together with some brilliant production this album is pretty amazing. In conclusion, Subterranean Constellations might just be my unsigned album of the year so check it out!

Like them on facebook at; https://www.facebook.com/SanityObscureSG

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the very kind review. We're glad you enjoyed the album!

    Ziyang

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  2. The album can be purchased digitally here -http://sanityobscuresg.bandcamp.com/

    Thanks for the review, Matt!

    :)

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