Metal & Mike: Diving Into Philosophy & Progressive Death Metal With OBSCURA
Obscura’s brand new record, Diluvium (released this July via Relapse), is the newest installment in the band’s philosophical journey. “Diluvium stands as part #4 of a four-album cycle,” vocalist/guitarist Steffen Kummerer shares. “That started back in 2009 when Cosmogenesis marked the first record, representing a cycle of [life] and death, which turns into rebirth overall. All lyrics [on Diluvium] have been well prepared for months, following and [concluding] the concepts that have been started years ago.”
For Kummerer, the music of Obscura has been a means to explore the existential elements of our existence. From the instrumentals, to the lyrics and visuals, Obscura‘s material provides fascinating philosophical depth. “The whole cycle of Cosmogenesis, Omnivium, Akroasis and Diluvium,” Kummerer states, “Stands for a closed cycle representing origin, evolution, consciousness, and death. [This is done] on a lyrical, visual, and musical basis. All lyrics are based on three layers – philosophy, religion, and astrophysics.”
He also shares how he has never found difficulty in writing about such topics, and how his intrigue inspires him. “First, the band never dealt with anything else and started with rough ideas in this manner around 16 years ago. For me, integrity is given once you write about topics you are interested in instead of making up topics you [don’t] stand behind. […] Writing especially for four records combined means all topics and fragments need to be connected in either way. There is no challenge writing about these subjects at all since these reflect my personal interests pretty much.”
As one of the leading bands in contemporary progressive metal, Obscura has consistently presented an awe-inspiring collection of instrumental work. Blending annihilating compositions utilizing melody and blistering speeds, the band’s work truly grabs hold of listeners without hesitation. Kummerer says that the instrumentals find part of their inspiration through his philosophical intrigue.
In regard to that inspiration, he shares, “In a passive way [they do]. For example, ‘Akroasis’ was meant to represent a certain laid-back vibe according to the lyrical topics of developing your own consciousness; while ‘Diluvium’ represents a more apocalyptic feel. While one record was composed on purpose with a wall of sound, multiple layers and delay lines, the last one was meant to be direct, dry, and in your face. So lyrics and music influence each other alike.”
He continues, explaining how Diluvium differs from past records. “There is [no] formula in the band; we work with a certain signature sound we’ve developed within the years, but we do not press everything in a certain scheme to sound like our previous records. Diluvium was produced and arranged on purpose in a different manner to gain a more direct and in your face approach; the musical material dealt with a bigger variety and colorful and wide array of influences.”
As an artist, Kummerer states he continues to push his craft by challenging and trusting himself. “First, I don’t repeat myself and I am still learning after so many years. Each record showed us the way where to improve and I don’t see an end [to] the road right now. Second, I trust my inner gut-feeling and intuition, as well as being an analytic person when it comes to music, lyrics, and overall concepts.”
Diluvium continues to push the material of Obscura, further exploring humanity’s existence. He hopes fans take in all the art that comes with the record, finding inspiration alongside the heavy music. “If the metal scene understands that Obscura is a technical and progressive death metal band that writes memorable songs out of any cliché, I am more than satisfied. The grand majority of our fans enjoy the music; [they] rather listen to the high standard of technical music skills than read through our lyrics. Our records work as a unit – including music, lyrics and the visual content. Lay back, listen to the songs, read through the lyrics, get inspired by the great artwork of Orion Landau, and you are close to the feeling I want to translate with each effort.”
You can order a copy of Diluvium via Bandcamp or the Relapse Records website, and listen to “The Conjuration” below. If you want to catch up on past Metal & Mike articles, you can find those here. You can also follow me on Twitter.
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