Ne Obliviscaris - Urn (2017)^{Release ID: 2576}

Many progressive metal bands have appeared in my mind as favorites over the years. First there was Dream Theater, then there was Pain of Salvation, along with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and when I switched to the more extreme progressive metal, Between the Buried and Me. Then a year and a half before this review came Ne Obliviscaris, which soon became a progressive metal revelation! They have all the skill, emotion, creativity and concept you can wish for. You want all of that? You got it right here!

Some progressive purists might put the band down for having their public displays for attention, such as their name, the nude (but amazing) cover art, twisted song titles, and the "out of pattern" violin. However, what lies beneath is the pure material that proves all of that isn't for show. Although I didn't expect much when I first discovered this band, when I went deep into this album, I found lots of better things in there. No way can anyone complain about the technical professionalism, nor the storm of instrumental musical skill. Everything in a perfect balance. Face the facts, these guys are absolute geniuses in flawless songwriting and interpretation.

The opening suite "Libera" begins with the main first part, "Saturnine Spheres", and what you're gonna witness is an extreme progressive metal symphony unleashing savage guitar riffs, fabulous bass, raw death growls, soft clean vocals, mellow violin, and a bit of acoustic guitar playing. The blast beats are merciless and the time patterns keep transitioning throughout the almost 10-minute length of this part. Daniel Presland is practically a drum god with his storming beastly power. The suite itself has a diverse dose of everything this album has, standing out in this majestic creation! Extreme elements and progressive themes come at the right moments. This is indeed an epic extreme progressive metal song with more than just loud adrenaline. Things quiet down with the acoustic/violin second part, "Ascent of Burning Moths".

"Intra Venus" is a great attention-seeker that has the best dueling vocal moment at the end. The next track "Eyrie" starts a little eerie, but gets more uplifting and has the best of Tim Charles' violins and vocals. This song can almost be considered an extreme progressive metal ballad. There's a blend of ethereal beauty and bad-a** power coming from that screaming violin.

And now it's on to the final two-part title suite! The first part, "And Within the Void We Are Breathless" is where everything makes more sense. The ultra-heavy apocalypse commences with a blazing aura. Xenoyr has some of the wildest growls and screams while Tim Charles plays his violin with all his might while doing some majestic Fabio Lione-like singing. But it's the second part "As Embers Dance in Our Eyes" that primarily fires up heavier elements. The atmosphere is just explosive! And things close out perfectly with an epic riff, an amazing solo, and the screaming last lyrics of life put in the past, "We are the ones that were what once was".

So that epic experience all happened in just 46 minutes. How in the world did the band managed to cram it in a short amount of time and still play it out smoothly? That's quite a mystery. And the experience is worth repeating. Ne Obliviscaris shall never be forgotten!

Favorites: All, but my #1 favorite is the full suite "Libera".