Review by Saxy S for Nailed to Obscurity - Generation of the Void (2025)

It's albums like Generation of the Void by German death doomers Nailed to Obscurity that leave me feeling strange. I can tell that all of the foundations are here, great death doom production, a solid driving bass to carry the album forward, guitar variation and a pretty good vocal range. This album reminds me of the recent gothic side of Katatonia, but where Nailed to Obscurity move away from that is the death growls from the vocalist; it gave the record the feeling of a Swallow the Sun type record. The tracks themselves are pleasant to listen to with plenty of enough variety to keep the album flowing and not become overbearing.

And despite all of that, I feel a sense of indifference towards Generation of the Void. Perhaps it's the burden of higher expectations with bands like Fires in the Distance, Swallow the Sun and Red Moon Architect that have projected the death doom metal genre to ceiling shattering heights that Nailed to Obscurity just do not have here. I for one, was anticipating when the harsh vocals that were commonplace on the opening handful of tracks ("Glass Bleeding" and "Liquid Mourning") to be pushed back as the clean singing takes center stage, and the harsh vocals serve more as embellishment instead of the main attraction. And when that happened on "Generation of the Void", I felt a sense of simplicity; it still sounds good and is one of the records bast songs, but the Katatonia influence takes over and it becomes hard to separate the influencer from the influencee. 

It's still not a bad album. My time with Generation of the Void was mostly enjoyable with good fundamentals and a strong sense of belonging within this style of music. However, without a true standout moment or idea for Nailed to Obscurity to latch onto, I'm afraid that this record (and band) lose my interest. This void is quite a dull place when you really think about it.

Best Songs: Overcast, Generation of the Void, Misery's Messenger