Obscura – A Sonication (Review)

Obscura are a death metal band from Germany and this is their seventh album.

2018’s Diluvium was a feast of modern technicality, while 2021’s A Valediction offered a melodic refresh of the Obscura sound that so many had come to love. So what does A Sonication bring us in 2025?

We get 39 minutes of new material on A Sonication, which makes it the band’s shortest album in their career. Also, as with A Valediction before it, the album also has a brand new lineup, formed around the core of the band’s guitarist/vocalist leader, (these new members have spent time in bands such as Cynic, Decapitated, Deny the Urge, and Vader, amongst many others).

A Sonication combines Obscura’s technical skills with their newfound melodic death metal approach to their sound. It’s the progressive death metal of the likes of Death and Atheist, mixed with the Swedeath of At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity. I’m reminded of the latter in particular this time around, not only in the non-growled vocals, but also some of the melodies and keyboards. Speaking of the growls, there are a few of them dotted around, and they’re my preferred style of the singer I think.

The songs are essentially what you might get if Dark Tranquillity were far more technical and had a progressive edge. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but it gives you an idea of where A Sonication is coming from. It’s richly melodic, with keyboard highlights, wandering bass, shreddfest solos, and occasional bursts of intricate blast beats.

With a duration of just two minutes, I was expecting The Prolonging to be a throwaway interlude, but it’s probably my favourite on the the album – fast, brutal, and sharp. My second favourite is The Sun Eater, as it’s far more aggressive and death metal in style than the more melodic cuts on the album. More like these two, please!

Although I enjoyed this record, I confess that I prefer either Obscura’s older style, or the two songs mentioned above. Regardless of my personal tastes, A Sonication should appeal to fans of melodic death metal more than the tech/prog styles, I’d say. Make sure you check it out if this appeals.