Abruzzo, Italy’s Obbrobrius first hit the scene with their quizzically-named and independently-released debut album, Daisy’s Creepy Tales back in 2024. Drawing from old school death metal with a new school flair, they attracted the attention of Over the Border Records to become the upstart Italian label’s second signing ever. The result is forthcoming sophomore album, Usurped, out on November 6th and streaming below for the listening pleasure of those who can’t get enough Bolt Thrower, Malevolent Creation Benediction and Lamb of God and enjoy the storytelling vibe of fellow countrymen, Fulci stirred into the mix. With members using stage names like “Shouter,” “Johnny Hell,” “Hellkymic Frenk” and “Dave Filth,” it’s clear Obbrobrius bring a good time sensibility to their death metal obsessions.
When asked about their second album, the band took a step back and said: “Usurped portrays a quintet confident in their abilities and with a clear vision of their sound. Shouter’s ferocious vocal performance, combined with Johnny Hell and Hellkymic Frenk’s rock-solid guitars, Dave Filth’s omnipresent bass, and Metfrey’s technical prowess on drums, delivers impactful and dynamically diverse metal. The stated goal is to create a highly rhythmic metal sound that, unlike champions of the groove genre like Pantera and Lamb of God, doesn’t keep the rhythm as the sole dynamic throughout the song, but often lets it erupt into death metal outbursts. Lyrically, Obbrobrius draw from true crime and post-apocalyptic cinema, the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and horror literature to address the theme of mental distress. Lyrics portray people struggling to manage anger (‘Blood In My Eyes’), the propagation of distress through TV news during the pandemic (‘Chronic Sickness’), and even monsters embodying our nightmares (‘Leviathan’s Cage’). Unlike thrash metal and hardcore, however, where the ‘great machination’ is the product of Earth’s powerful who concentrate money and political decisions upon themselves, Obbrobrius see human distress and our enslavement as the result of a divine plan, in which the reins of our existence are held by Guardians of the Great Forces (the Yog Sothoth of ‘All In One And One In All’) and dark armies (‘As Angels Fall’).”
Check it out, you be the judge and if you dig it, contact links are below and you know what to do.
*photo by Guglielmo Ciccone
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