Obiat – Indian Ocean

 

 

Obiat – Indian Ocean
Self released – 2022
Rock, Metal, Sludge, Prog, Post, Psych, Doom
Rated: *****

In my mind there are all tides. All the ebbs and all the flows. Huge shadows from massive swells and booming sounds from crashing waves. In my mind there’s an ocean. Resounding and reverberating, remaking all that ever was. And in my mind I hear Obiat. Playing their surging sludge and pulsating prog, their highly dynamic and rippling approach to metal, post-rock, and psych. Once again we dive into the fourth track Nothing Above to hear a perfect example of that rippling; that slow wash like a great expanse of calm water. The extra vocals on Nothing Above provided by Sofia DeVille, the saxophone by Tomasz Bachorz and a trombone by Marta Rakowska, immediately give away that the four from Obiat are not afraid to go all out, to experiment and to let the music flow and follow its natural course. Gracious and warm, that one track shows off everything Obiat has in store when it comes to painting pictures and setting scenes. And it’s what this entire album is about; one gigantic and colorful mural filled with intricate details and dark crevices to escape into, to explore, and to discover. And where that fourth tracks shows off the inner workings of Obiat, following fifth track Sea Burial shows off their heavier side, the steady riffing, the sturdy drums, and the sailing vocals by Sean Cooper. Still showing restraint and control, the end build up does not go for explosive, but for massive and grandiose. Which makes for a majestic transition into the wonderful keywork on that sixth track Ad Meliora, a track that does become more volatile as the composition progresses. All that extra FX adding so much depth and dimension to the song. Which is probably the biggest growth displayed in regard to the earlier releases, there’s just so much more to every song, minute details, thick and luscious sounds, wonderful production and the new vocalist, making this new Indian Ocean record rise to towering heights. For Obiat, an ever-revolving project, that still has founding member Raf Reutt in its midst, to return with a new album after thirteen years, and to do that with such conviction, power, and a lust to give so much, is dazzling, daring, and audacious. Just like ending such a record as Indian Ocean with Lightness Of Existence, which sounds like flickering sun sparks on the water…

(Written by JK)

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