Obsidian Tide – The Grand Crescendo

Hailing out of Tel-Aviv, Israel, Obsidian Tide rose to international renown in 2019 on the back of their debut album “Pillars of Creation”. Featuring singles like the stellar title track, the band’s sound draws vibes akin to high profile prog staples such as Opeth and Tool. Tasteful, ornate melodic passages with clean singing are placed in high contrast with heavy sections and guttural vocals, emphasizing the intensity of the latter.

Guitarist Oz Avneya doubles on clean vocals with a discerning and unique timbre, while gutturals are done by bassist Shachar Bieber. The resulting dichotomy of voices creates a natural dialogue setup, further underlined when they are singing simultaneously. Completing the trio, Erez Nadler on drums rounds off the sonic package with rhythmically intricate beats, bearing a strong signature of the aforementioned behemoths. Finally, a sense of exoticism is instilled via the usage of some less common feature instruments, such as flutes.

Obsidian Tide are now back with their sophomore full-length release “The Grand Crescendo”. Upon asking to comment on their intentions, Bieber explained that they were going for a natural development of their sound while allowing in diverse inspirations for sources all around. Forced to partially write in separation due to the pandemic, the band had to work around some barriers in the creative process, with most of the compositions coming from Avneya and Bieber equally. Production-wise, Nadler took over the entire process up until Mastering, which was covered by Grant McFarland and Carson Slowak of Atrium Audio, known for the likes of Rivers of Nihil and Black Crown Initiate.

In true progressive manner, with the exception of the outro closer, all tracks on the ambitious album clock in at over 8 minutes. The band entrusts its target audience to have the required attention span, confidently taking the time to really let motives sink in. Contrary to “radio-friendly” composition, Obsidian Tide does not shy away from repeating or developing a theme more than usual. The opener ‘Clandestine Calamities’ goes off on a central tangent with a tasteful arpeggio for a full 2,5 trance-inducing minutes.

Characteristic for “The Grand Crescendo” is the high stylistic dynamic. A major portion of the album is in fact quite mellow. When the band then proceeds to turn up the heaviness, the strong contrast in sections emphasizes the intensity. This is further supported using different voices. ‘Beyond’ starts with heavy, clear-defined groove riffing, before dropping down to an absolute minimum that re-builds up to an extensive finale over the course of a full minute, giving the latter a perceived intensity that would not have been so apparent in a stand-alone setting.

A sense of exoticism is introduced via unusual instruments, such as a flute in ‘Clandestine Calamities’ and ‘HALO CRVSHER’, and unpredictable feature samples like an elephant’s trumpet. Driving the point home, the album concludes on a catchy non-lyrical vocalizing chorus, inviting the listener to continue to hum along after it ends.

While most of the work is focused on vibe and dynamics, the band does go off on a drawn out instrumental section in the Undying Flames, to demonstrate some technical flex. To cover the heavy end of the spectrum, ‘HALO CRVSHER’ at the center of the album ensures that an appropriate level of edge is kept.

“The Grand Crescendo” saves its highlight for the finale: ‘The Field of Reeds’ is a 4-part, cinematic journey that hoovers in the prog-inclined listener, flies by instantly despite its total length of 16:22, and left me mesmerized. The dramatic storyline about agonizing paternal loss, set in ancient Egypt, is captivating. As a father myself, I can’t remember the last time music has incited such an emotional response. The narrator’s harrowing pain is expressed in a remarkably perceptible manner, with an exhilarating vocal performance and clearly understandable lyrics, underlined by a tasteful and dynamic instrumental composition.

Bieber gave me very interesting insights into the inspiration for the song:

I dug as deep as I could to write this song, and I decided to write about two brushes I had with death.

The first one is recent: My grandfather passed away right around the time I sat down to write the lyrics. I really loved him; he was such a good person, but he was also obsessive. He would wake up at 3 am every morning to make sure he locked his car. Since he was such a good guy, everyone on his street trusted him and gave him the keys to their houses, to ensure on his nightly walks that they were locked. In his last words, he asked my uncle if the electrician he ordered had fixed the lights in the upper floor. He just couldn’t let go, and I think it’s one of things that killed him: he was just too stressed constantly.

The second one is from more than two decades ago: When I was seven years old, my younger brother (three years old at the time) died of cancer. I remember very little from the time of his death, but I remember my mother, naturally, grieving intensely.

After undergoing stages of hopelessness, agony, and fury, the aptly named conclusion ‘Miracles’ resolves the matter in an unanticipatedly jovial and encouraged manner. Bieber remarked:

The outro’s name, ‘Miracles’, draws its name from two reasons: First, anyone who experienced real grief knows that it can take a miracle to go on with your life. Second, my grandfather’s name was Nissim, which means “miracles” in Hebrew.

Overall, “The Grand Crescendo” is a spectacular work of cinematic progressive metal, highly recommended for listeners with an appreciation for strong dynamics and a sufficient attention span. If anything, a minor flaw may be a slight lack of grandiose catchiness in the hooks and choruses, which drive home a bit less memorable than the splendid core sections. With two remarkable full-length albums under their belt and their sound outgrowing their archetypical inspirations, Obsidian Tide is poised to make major waves in the prog community.

Track List:

1. Clandestine Calamities
2. Beyond
3. The Invasion On Paradise
4. HALO CRVSHER
5. The Undying Flames
6. The Field of Reeds (parts I, II, III)
7. Miracles (The Field of Reeds Part IV)