By Jason Williams
February 19th 2016, The Garage, Ventura CA: One of the most fascinating aspects of music for me, through all genres, and metal in this case especially, is that sometimes a person feels honored enough to hear a band in their early time period, because of where that band progresses in subsequent years. And not only that, but that particular band can also happen to be extremely special, and “positively different” than the others. I would personally cite bands like Deathspell Omega, Augury, Psycroptic, Gorguts, Spawn of Possession, Lykathea Aflame, Iniquity and Anata, as I was happily fortunate to hear them before the general metal public was able to, several years beforehand. With Ne Obliviscaris, the band would be in the same category, an incredibly talented and unique band, that I felt the world isn’t quite fully ready for. Enchanting violin work, supreme guitar musicianship, a sensational dual vocal attack, elegant melodies combined with a superior sense of classical music, Ne Obliviscaris presents a delicate and extreme pallet of eceletic metal. Fresh off of their incredibly successful crowdfunding campaign, and on their first North American tour opening for Cradle of Filth, Ne Obliviscaris played one of their headline off day shows at The Garage in Ventura, CA, and after all these years I was finally able to witness their live performance.
As stated, this was a show not too close to many around the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. The drive wasn’t too tedious, and traffic surprisingly fluid for a major portion of the way, I arrived around 8:45 PM, in the middle of the first of three local bands opening the show before Ne Obliviscaris. Silent Us was playing first, a hardcore thrash/punk group hailing all the way from Prescott, Arizona. The musicianship was solid, and lead guitar player Chad Terrill was certainly talented; and although it didn’t stand out too much to me, I do admit that I’m not very familiar with that genre. The crowd were into them, staying up front and headbanging to the music. I will say, in the vocal and crowd addressing approach, their lead singer Rani Rodriguez definitely stood out the most. She had a decent growling/screaming/light gurgling range, and for the fact that she used little to no effort to belt those out, I give props to her vocal ability. Her crowd interaction could be described as more of dry humor, awkward and light rambling. I found it entertaining myself, because it was almost a Yin/Yang like approach to her vocals. Overall, they were a decent opener to the show.
After a quick set change, Blister Unit came on next, a 3-piece grindcore/sludge band also from Prescott, Arizona. I can certainly say that I’m fairly picky when it comes to grindcore, and unfortunately they didn’t do too much for me. The crowd enjoyed them, and speaking of, I give props to this venue for its pretty impressive sound system, considering its a 100-capacity dive bar. The pizza parlor next door and the thrift shop close by are certainly convenient and fun pluses for this venue, as well as their solid beer selection too. But back to Blister Unit. Perhaps I just don’t see grindcore being something that is at the drop of the hat, I like a little more death metal infused with it. Nothing stood out to me much, but for the audience who did enjoy them, especially their song “Fuck the Internet”, I take nothing away from them, and wish Blister Unit success in their hometown of Prescott, where I’m sure they have a great fan base.
Whale was to be the last act of the three openers for Ne Obliviscaris, and with a name as Whale, parody, gimmicky or not, something should stand out if you’re picking a name of a fantastic and beautiful water creature. Unlike the previous bands, Whale was from right in Ventura, and also playing an early death metal/grindcore style, although the musicianship was more up my alley, as the guitar work stood out more for me, with some nifty tremolo riffs along with clear and precise blasting, particularly in the song “Ruin”. The song was too short for me to really appreciate it though, and the composition of the riffs wasn’t there long enough for me to fully absorb. It would have been interesting and positively humorous for the interludes between songs to have lights that would have looked like we were in underwater, with whale songs being sung by the members themselves, or from the PA system… but perhaps that was high expectations for my unique and sometimes strange imagination. Overall, the best of the three openers.
By 10:50 PM, the crowd gathered closer to the stage, with chants of “Ne!”, and a special anticipation in the air that could be felt by everyone. This was an absolute long time coming, and for those who did or did not see Ne Obliviscaris open for Cradle of Filth two days previously at The Mayan, seeing this band for only 35 minutes compared to 80-90 does not do them any justice, considering their songs are about 10 minutes average in length. Soundcheck, complete. Crowd, engaged heavily. Said band onstage, elated and ready to rock. Taken from their newest release, Citadel, “Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes” was the first song of their impeccably monstrous 80 minute set. Mere seconds into the track and the sound was beyond massive, and most importantly for their signature sound, crystal clear. Major credit to the venue, and of course to the band, to always make sure everything can be heard, due to the beautiful chaos engulfing our ears in pure delight. The only smallest gripe, was clean vocalist/violinist (In a metal band, what??? Just impossible, right?) Tim Charles’s microphone could have been a little louder, but was still fixed quickly into the show. Otherwise, the sound was as clear and powerful as I ever hoped for from the band. The amount of musicianship occurring can only be described as deafening, beautiful brutality. Drummer Dan Presland was needed to be seen to be believed. There are a vast amount of elite extreme metal drummers out there, and for damn sure, Dan surely needs to be recognized on that list. His drum fills and sonic-assaulting blastbeats could only be clearly heard thanks to the advanced sound quality here tonight. And guitarists Benjamin Baret and Matt Klavins can only be called elite songwriters and captivators of chaotic melody, chained into cleanly picked arpeggios, unusual chord structures, pure knowledge of classical arrangements, and a complete mix to put it all together. Witnessing their riffs, leads, melodies and harmonies was nothing short of mesmerizing. It’s one thing to be unique, and for the sake of being that way intentionally. There is absolutely nothing fake about this music, with bassist “Cygnus” matching note for note the complexities of the guitars, with large chords and bass licks tapped with ease. His headbanging simultaneously I might add, more and more impressed by the second.
And as someone who first stumbled upon the band in 2007, with their first demo “The Aurora Veil” being my introduction, it was wonderfully surreal seeing Tim and harsh vocalist “Xenoyr” harmonize with one another; a whirlwind of hate and a flurry of intensity, alongside it, the peaceful waves of the ocean as you lay your head on the sand. It isn’t just your typical clean singing either, with such a classical influence within the band, Tim’s vocals resonate lighter than an actual baritone, and with his violin perfectly in the mix, the passion speaks volumes. The crowd was clapping along during the violin moments, alongside the guitars adding the rhythm to it. “And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope” was the true highlight of the night, although really too many to count. Their debut album holds a special place in my heart, and still considered for me as their greatest work, so far. Tearing up at special shows is nothing new for me, and hearing this song in person after waiting nearly 9 years for this band, brought me to tears as well, with the wonderfully distorted joy they were emanating, hitting me like a tornado made of emotions. Three tracks from Citadel, and three tracks from Portal of I was a balance I can truly appreciate; and with this 6-song show lasting 80 minutes, fans still were screaming for more as the last notes were being rung into The Garage. As with Wintersun’s first show here in late 2011, the first Death to All show in 2012, Megadeth’s really special performance on Jimmy Kimmel in 2013, Ne Obliviscaris’ headline show this fine evening was felt by all in attendance as something that will not be forgotten, and with the band surely returning back to the States, sooner than later.
The term “extreme metal” can have a habit of falling into cliche pretenses and assumptions. I personally find that term to inhabit all forms of metal sub-genres, and Ne Obliviscaris are truly one of the very best described for that. This was a magnificent and outstanding performance that the decently sized crowd was joyfully honored to be able to attend. Australia’s own Ne Obliviscaris cannot be ignored any longer, and here’s to the metalheads finally witnessing greatness upon their eyes and ears.
Set List:
01. Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes
02. Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise
03. Xenoflux
04. Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux
05. Pyrrhic
06. And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope
Remaining Tour Dates w/ Cradle Of Filth:
Mar. 2 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
Mar. 3 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Mar. 5 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
Mar. 6 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theater
Mar. 7 Montreal, QC @ Corona Theater
Mar. 8 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
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