Metal Debate Album Review - Dereliction Of Divinity (Obsidian Shrine)

The Great Metal Debate Podcast

Welcome back to The Great Metal Debate podcast with a new album review, talking about the Nashville based black metal act Obsidian Shrine. This is the band's 3rd full-length studio album titled Dereliction of Divinity. For some reason, my mind went to that Incantation song "A Once Holy Throne" when I saw the song title "A Vacant Throne" but the two tracks sound nothing alike. Obsidian Shrine is a band who is heavily influenced by Marduk. Marduk was never a stand out to me personally as I feel like other talents in the Norwegian trve kvlt black metal scene have overshadowed them in terms of quality song writing. However, Murmur and Nazgul seem to have a way of making their guitar riffs pop as if they just know exactly how to harness the best elements from 2nd wave black metal like Gorgoroth and Dark Throne but give it a clean studio mix. Since I just blabbed on and on for filler sake, I'll remind you that this first track is called "A Vacant Throne" and if the former album is anything to go by, this one is loud, aggressive and in your face with the screeching banshees for vocals. They keep the raspy screams coming throughout the duration of not just this nearly 6 minute opening but the remaining 5 tracks as well. "A Vacant Throne" begins with the sound of howling wind before the early era Naglfar-esq riff and opening scream rips your face off. The drum work is speedy and unrelenting and the vocals are angry. Not to mention there is a brief but very sweet face melting guitar solo loaded with sweep picking. Next we have the song "Licentious Procession" which brings more vocals that sound even more venomous and you can really feel the seething hatred within the very few words you can actually pick out on the first handful of listens. The main rhythm guitar has a more memorable riff this time around but it's here where I must point out my first critique. I don't hear the bass at all in this music. I'm unsure if the Inquisition approach was intentional but this music could certainly benefit from having the 4 string turned up a little. "Obsolete Ideology" is the third track where this issue continued and in all honesty, it's not a track that I particularly remembered after my first listen but it later grew on me just a little. Still not my favorite track on this new record but it's still a blistering banger nonetheless. "Evil Has Its Day" is my favorite song on this album. As someone who thoroughly enjoys the melodic subgenre the most, it was refreshing to finally hear an undistorted guitar moment where the blast beats finally take a break. The blissfully sinister part comes with the nasally ghoul-like vocal break. Key components like this are what makes me pay the most attention. I wish there were more breaks on this album where different vocal styles or musical compositions come into play. I love the calming guitar riff just after the goblin vocals finish rolling its R's. It's short lived but still a great moment. The 5th track serves as a simple instrumental with long notes and a metronome drumbeat. Its meant to be an intermission or rather a prelude to the final song. Throughout we hear a loud mouthed TVangelist preacher fear mongering to all of his gullible followers. It leads nicely into the final song which happens to be the album title track. "Dereliction of Divinity" kicks off with black metal sound but after the first minute, we get a tempo change that slows to a grinding riff but the vocals stay the same. I'm glad the riff stays like this before the very Kerry King style guitar solo shreds in a quick and chaotic way. It's unfortunate that seconds later, this short album concludes very abruptly. There's no winding down or fading out. It just kinda ... stops. Dereliction of Divinity is an album I strongly recommend to fans of bands like: 1349, Taake, Watain or Sargeist. I'll give my boys a fair score of 6.66/10 rating.