Obscurity

Formed: 1997
Genre(s): Black Metal/Death Metal





The weather in the Bergisch Land (landscape in Germany) is always more extreme than elsewhere in Germany.Especially during the less sunny months bitter cold, permanent snow and icy roads are the best basics for hypothermian reefs, chilly high-speed drumming and Ice Aged warrior lyrics...or to shorten it: Black/Viking Metal of the most uncompromising kind.

Obscurity is a German melodic death/black metal band with strong viking metal influences hailing from Velbert, a city in the Bergischen Land in North Rhine-Westphalia. They are one of the early German death/black/viking and pagan metal bands.

HISTORY:

Founded in 1997, Nezrac (singing), Ziu (bass), Arganar (drums), Agalaz (guitar) and Dornaz (guitar) followed their vision of honest sound art under the sign of the Bergisch Lion. After their highly recommended debut CD „Bergisch Land“ (2000), the manifesto of brutal metal: „Thurisaz“ followed in 2003. Their second work earned the quintet stunning reviews and also for numerours live concerts (with Desaster, Endstille, Nagelfar, Mystic Circle, Thyrfing, Warhammer, Raise Hell) leading to excellent sales figures. After Dornaz (guitar) left the band in 2003, Cortez with his six-string went successfully into the battle with Obscurity.

As a band like Obscurity doesn’t have to reinvent itself with every new opus, the route direction for writing new songs was clearly given, namely to take the musical meanness to further extremes and to be even more uncompromising. In 2006 Obscurity went to the Hagener Midas Twins Studio. Recorded by Andy Brings and Haan Hartmann, produced by Bony (singer of the Japanische Kampfhoerspiele) a 45 minutes contemptuos thunderstorm of sound was created. It was crowned with German lyrics (meantime all songs are in German) whose Battle/God/Rune topic drives a bloody taste of iron in the throat (after the 2nd song at the latest).

„Schlachten & Legenden“: 10 hymn-like songs, far away from all warehouse-keyboardstereotypes and against any NSBM-scum. Who now thinks that our five „Bergisch“ warriors acquired their precision and their heaviness on their actual long-player only through modern sound recording technology, should honour Obscurity on one of their live-crusades through Germany and find out that they fight on stage at least as brave as in the studio.

hey pick the name Obscurity because in their formative years their musical style cannot be clearly assigned to a specific metal genre. Since Obscurity means darkness as well as lack of clarity this synonym adequately describes their extraordinary and comprehensive musical scope. This is even emphasized by the Viking Metal influences which were developed at a very early stage. Bands playing this kind of metal often choose names originating from Nordic mythology, so the band name may be rather unusual here but it is still representative and typical of Obscurity.
Obscurity’s “trademark” is the Bergisch Lion, the heraldic animal of the counts and subsequent dukes of Berg, which reigned over the Bergisch Land in the Middle Ages. This “trademark” is a recurrent theme in the band’s history and features almost all releases.

In 2003 founding member Dornaz leaves Obscurity. He is still a “stand-by” member of the band and also shared the stage with them on their 10-year anniversary. After Dornaz’ departure experienced guitarist and longtime friend Cortez takes up his position. Through his joining of the band they gain more heaviness and enlarge their musical spectrum.

The same year the band signs a distribution contract for their album Thurisaz with Twilight.

In 2006 the band signs a new record and distribution deal for the follow-up album Schlachten & Legenden with Massacre Records.
In 2007 Obscurity celebrates the band’s 10-year anniversary. The album Schlachten & Legenden is released in April and distributed by Massacre Records/Soulfood.
In 2008 shouter Nezrac leaves the band. The same year the squad signs a new record contract with the music label SMP/Trollzorn.
The album Várar hits stores March 2009 being distributed by SMP Records/Soulfood.
The band distances itself explicitly from any politically extremist views in the metal scene saying that Nazism can never be in accord with metal. This attitude is vehemently expressed by Obscurity in their booklets, through interview statements, in announcements during live gigs and even in one of their songs

Lyric - Musicstyle

Lyrics

Obscurity’s lyrical themes range from martial, battlesome ones to themes derived from Nordic mythology and also include purely fictitious ones. In their early days they also used lyrics which were typically black metal. Political themes, however, were never of any significance for the band and, therefore, never taken up. Their lyrics are mostly in German.

Musicstyle

During their first years Obscurity mainly played death/black metal with some viking metal influences. Since 1998 Viking Metal aspects have been exerting a more and more dominating influence on the band which is primarily displayed in their lyrics as well as in some musical elements.

Their musical direction today is a mix of melodic death metal and black metal enriched with strong Viking Metal influences and also possessing some thrash metal features.

Obscurity confine themselves to playing traditional metal instruments (drums, guitars, bass). Fancier instruments, which are frequently used in Pagan Metal, like keyboards, violins, flutes, medieval gear and other instruments are intentionally not to be found here.

Their music is very fast, heavy and spiked with hymn-like melodies. The band’s sound is sometimes very cold and brute, yet harmonizing and brilliantly produced. It is deeply rooted in the “underground” but still very catchy.
Obscurity are often compared with bands like Amon Amarth, Naglfar, Dissection and Unleashed. With regard to some of Obscurity’s musical elements also Bathory or Immortal are mentioned as references here. Of course, these comparisons are drawn on the basis of subjective impressions and are to some extent not shared by the band members.

All recordings of demos and albums of the years 1997-2008, layouts etc. have been solely self-financed and self-produced by Obscurity. The band refuses to let their responsibility and freedom of artistic expression be taken away by contracts of any kind. Both of their distribution and record contracts were only agreed to after completion of the albums. It was only for their four official records that they got an experienced producer/co-producer on board – Bony (shouter of Japanische Kampfhörspiele), a longtime friend and companion of the band.

Members





Agalaz
Arganar
Ziu
Cortez

Discography

• The Rebirth Of The Dark Empire (Demo, 1997)
• Christian Decay (Demo, 1999)
• Bergisch Land (Album, 2000)
• Thurisaz (Album, 2003 – release 2004)
• Schlachten & Legenden (Album, 2006 – release 2007)
• Várar (Album, 2009)

Homepage: http://www.obscurity-online.de/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/obscuritybergischland

Faustcoven

Formed: 2002
Genre(s): Black Metal




Faustcoven is a black/doom metal band from Norway, founded in 2002 by Gunnar Hansen. Faustcoven is aiming for a heavier, more gloomy sound than the usual sound of modern black metal bands. In an interview by The Metal Crypt, asked about his inspirations for Faustcoven's style, Hansen stated the following:

I wanted to do something completely different, something darker and heavier. I also am heavily into old doom metal, and saw that the sound and heaviness of bands like Saint Vitus and Pentagram was very compatible with the more evil and frentic approach of Bathory, Venom and Mercyful Fate. And I just loved the idea of combining it into something both heavy and sinister.

History

Faustcoven is a Black/Doom Metal band from Norway, started in 2002 by sole member Gunnar Hansen (with Johnny Tombthrasher, and Terje Kraaboel having contributed live drums in the studio). The sound of Faustcoven however, is far removed from what one usually expects from Norwegian Black Metal, being mainly inspired by the first wave of Black Metal, trad./proto Doom and classic Heavy Metal of all shapes.
The production is bassy and heavy not the usual trebly & thin B.M.-production, the riffs groovy and midpaced instead of tremolo raping two note melodies, and no blastbeats are to be seen for miles around. Instead of frozen forests and evil elves, the atmosphere of Faustcoven invokes horror and DOOM. Oh yeah, and; No corpsepaint! Neither is Faustcoven a Funeral Doom band in disguise, the riffs are more dynamic, trying to follow the lead of Sabbath, Pentagram and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost rather than the more static, droney riffs many other Black/Doom bands use. The most modern part of Faustcoven is probably the extensive use of dissonance, lending a sense of eeriness to the music, but the total package is one mans personal time machine back into the 80’s (and sometimes even the 70’s).
Signed on die hard old school label Barbarian Wrath, the discography of Faustcoven so far apart from demos, includes 2 full lengths (The Halo of Burning Wings (2003) and Rising From Below the Earth (2008)) and one 7’’ split with fellow Norwegian band Koldbrann released in 2006.

The next several months will also see the two albums released as LP’s on legendary vinyl label Nuclear War Now!, a demo/rehearsal anthology on Under the Sign of Garazel, and a split 7’’ on Iron Tyrant with German labelmates Cultes des Goules. The next full-length, tentatively titled “Hellfire & Funeral Bells” is also in the works, although it will not be released anytime soon.
While representing a rebellion against everything modern, gothy and sterile, as well as the so called old school mid 90’s clichés of Black Metal, firmly rooted in the underground, what Faustcoven first and foremost is, is a passionate declaration of love for everything that was great about 70’s and 80’s Metal, and a salute to the gods of the riff.

Faustcoven played live for their first time at the Hole In The Sky festival in Bergen, Norway the 26th of August 2009.

Studio albums

• The Halo of Burning Wings (2003)
• Rising from Below the Earth (2008)

Compilations and split releases

• Koldbrann/Faustcoven (2006) – split single with Koldbrann.
• The Priest's Command (2009) – consist of tracks from the two demos, rehearsal tracks from The Halo of Burning Wings and one previously unreleased track (Atomsmasher).

Demos

• Satanic Doom 2002 (2002)
• The March of Cloven Hooves (2003)

Band members



Current members

• Gunnar Hansen – vocals, guitar, bass (2002-present)
• Johnny Tombthrasher – drums (2004-present)

Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/faustcoven