Band: Saeculum Obscurum
Title: Into The Depths Of Oblivion
Label: Thunderblast Records
Distribution: Bertus / Twilight
Release date: January 14th 2011
Review: CD

Saeculum Obscurum (which means ‘dark world’) are a Bavarian band (they reside in Munich), formed in 2007, and consisting of members from Utopia Turns To Ashes and Sycronomica. In 2009, a self-released EP was released (From The Shadows), and this album, Into The Depths Of Oblivion, is the first full length for Saeculum Obscurum.
Into The Depths Of Oblivion brings fifty minutes of fierce, energetic and pounding (somewhat Scandinavian-oriented) Black / Death Metal with an orchestral undertone, influences from modern Thrash Metal, and both melodic and progressive elements. It unquestionably is a 21st-century-oriented recording (sound, structure of compositions), yet with an important wink to certain nineties-basements. The variation is nice: groove and relative catchiness, blasting versus mid-tempo, several clean, emotional passages and harmonic riffs, a slurring rhythm section, acoustics, technical versus traditional structures, straight-forward versus symphonic, the injection of duelling guitar solos and neo-classical piano parts, and varying vocals (screams and grunts), all of it mingled into a fresh yet concrete and severe entity.
I do miss cohesion, an own face, and stand-outs in general, and within the current scene, this might not be the most exceptional effort lately. With the current (international) competition you need to do better, I guess – yet again: Into … is an acceptable record.

70/100

Ivan Tibos.