MORIBUND OBLIVION – Endles

MORIBUND OBLIVION – Endles

Moribund Oblivion is a Turkish black outfit and these guys have been it at for years and churned out a whole string of full-length releases since the band’s inception in 1999. Their latest onslaught, which is entitled "Endless", contains aggressive black metal with melodic sensibilities to it, and it is deliciously rough around the edges but sadly does not pack a whole lot of punch either sonically or in terms of quality.

There are many good ideas and arrangements to be found here, and the musicianship is solid, but the entire thing just feels a tad too derivative and it is neither thrilling nor darkly appealing the way it ought to be. Now the thing is that Moribund Oblivion throw several twists and a handful of surprising turns into their pummeling brand of metal throughout, which is obviously a cool trait, but the album just lacks a musical identity and style of its own. They do vary the pace and keep things dynamic most of the time, and there are enjoyable aspects of listening to parts of the disc, but it never really manages to grab me by the throat and blow me away. Having said that, "Endless" is not a complete waste of time and it is not devoid of depth as such, but apart from its song material failing to truly impress me it is also lacks a sense of climax and unholy excitement. All in all, this is a mediocre offering and not the demonic delight or deeply atmospheric opus that I was hoping for.

MORIBUND OBLIVION (bandcamp.com)