Pulling from history is nothing new for metal by any means with it still being a constant source of inspiration even to this day. While it is the majority of acts that do dabble in looking through the past tend to gravitate more towards the more modern wars with the likes of World War II particularly getting attention as of late, there’s always something to be said about the battles of old. Taking that concept and running with it for a debut record the likes of which this concept hasn’t seen in far too long, Oblivium Regnum makes a tremendous case for more historically themed albums to look upon the carnage and drama that went down during the medieval times.
Given the political nature of many medieval conflicts, it’s not hard to see why many metal acts don’t lean towards this kind of subject with the carnage and next-level madness of our modern vision of warfare something that comes across very easily in the world of death metal. Oblivium Regnum certainly faced a challenged as they sought to bring melodic death metal to a conflict that begun in the 11th century with the resolution not happening until over two hundred years later, yet it’s with “Zrádce” that this burgeoning act out of the Czech Republic has surmounted great odds. I will not dare to try to understand all of the intricate details and events that take place within “Zrádce”, but what I am able to experience across these four tracks is far more than what I was expecting when I initially sat down to listen to this record. Epic in scope and nothing that leaves one wanting more out of disappointment, Oblivium Regnum puts forth a dramatic performance filled with twists and turns, dips and dives, and shocks and awes to keep the listener enthralled for every step of the way. As intense as it is melodic, “Zrádce” is not something that I think many would expect when they envision a competent piece of melodic death metal, and Oblivium Regnum plays off of that subversion to deliver a debut that is much more than what we were bargaining for.
A work that manages to keep you guessing no matter what you’ve experienced before from that same sound is always something that many people are constantly craving for whether they know it or not with acts along the lines of Oblivium Regnum just the sort that keep us on the edge of our seats, eagerly awaiting whatever morsel comes our way next. There’s much to pick apart within the confines of “Zrádce” with it hopefully acting as but the prelude to what will soon hopefully grow into a catalog of melodic death metal that will bring many before the might that is Oblivium Regnum.
LISTEN to “Zrádce” via YouTube here or below.
LIKE Oblivium Regnum on Facebook here.
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