Review: “From The Sheol To The Apeiron” by Obscura Qalma

The debut EP by Italian Blackened Death Metal band Obscura Qalma appeared slithering across the long grass and threatening to spit venom at the start of April. Formed from the ashes of From The Shores, As Memory Dies and Liyatan, these are seasoned musicians who have created an EP in 12 months since starting out. The EP title is an interesting one. “Sheol” refers to the Underworld of the Dead rather than Hell, whereas “Apeiron” refers to bring boundless or without limit and both are ancient Greek translations. So the title could be “From Hell to Heaven” or “From Underworld to Freedom”.

A dark and swirling main riff played with clockwork precision bursts into blast beats as “Misanthropic Perception” gets underway. The unclean sung chorus as an almost choral quality to it but what wins the day is the thunderous rhythm section of riffs, pounded drum patterns and bass that comes in after a mid song pause of background noise. As a whole on the track, the drum sound is a little bit flat but on the bridge it works really well. Continuing that styling into the opening of “Apokalepse”, a brute of a track that has a “who can play faster” quality in places with some off kilter riffs and and galloping drums. Perhaps taking a Slipknot influence, there is a siren that bursts into some coral work as well as some additional percussion sounds from perhaps another drum kit that gives the sound of something like “The Blister Exists” to the track. It’s something less of the bands styling buts very effective.

The thing about “Roots of Evil” is that it has this brilliant Behemoth esq piece of guitar worth that sounds off kilter and ends with a squeal bend before looping back. The slightly odd aspect is that when you’re expecting it to pick up it instead delivers some heavy end In Flames warbling chorus part that doesn’t seem to fit the first couple of times around. But it’s one of those things that grows on you and you keep coming back because of that other guitar part. Demonstrating all of their prowess by working the dynamics with “Haze of Reason”, it’s a powerhouse of an epic closing track. By blending the gargantuan almost Cathedral esq Orchestral sounds with some bludgeoning riffs and even some electronics, Obscura Qalma have closed with a God sized thunderous monster of a tune [8/10]

Track listing

1. Misanthropic Perception
2. Apokalepse
3. Roots of Evil
4. Haze of Reason

“From The Sheol To The Apeiron” by Obscura Qalma is out now and available over at bandcamp