The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow
Origin: Maryland / USA
Release: 16.02.2024
Label: Ripple Music
Duration: 36:43
Genre: Doom / Stoner Rock
Photo Credit: Jessy Lotti
With The Obsessed a legend returns to the spotlight. In addition to being happy about the new output, the band also has a lot to make up for with me.
On the one hand, there is the previous album, which was not very gripping and did not sound optimal in terms of sound Sacred from 2017 and then the disappointment that the band canceled their European tour in 2019.
What gives hope is working with Ripple Music. The label has hardly made a mistake when it comes to choosing new and old talent in recent years.
Always dark, always personal
The album starts with the ponderous and bitter in content Daughter Of An Echo. Wine wrote the music and lyrics himself. He is probably dealing with a very personal problem with a female disappointment. The sound mixes doom and stoner. Due to the hard, concentrated riff and the almost monotonous vocals, the opener sounds deliberately unwieldy.
But The Obsessed shake off the dark dust. Already the second song It’s Not OK shows more color and drive. The new rhythm guitarist Jason Taylor is involved in the composition and brings color into play. The frontman Wine again he expresses bitter anger about a disappointment, this time male. The story about falsehood and cowardice is provided with variable singing. The drums and the riffs ensure that everything grooves nicely.
Shine in the golden light
But the sun rises even higher, because Realize A Dream With its wide guitar front, it nestles immediately in the ear. Wine sings throatily, pointedly and unusually variable. The riff gets stuck in your head mercilessly. You can do the short, succinct number HERE listen.
Are there enough surprises now? No, because the title track gets poetic, stoned and psychedelic. Gilded Sorrow is full of guitars, offers distorted vocals and has unexpected breaks before disappearing with an echo. I would have this song The Obsessed never believed it and I am captivated every time I listen to it.
We’ll go with you Stoned Back To The Bomb Age grounded. Simple and doomy riffs sound. The guitar solo is kept extra simple. Sings to everything Wine no longer, but speaks in an impressive monotone but charismatic manner. He brings us closer to his, this time political, message in a hard way. What a high-class, forward-rolling doom number!
Vulnerable stories and a broad program
Things continue doomy. Wine hat Wellspring / Dark Sunshine written alone and you can hear it. The riffs are simple and catchy. The story presented sounds harsh and hurtful. The Obsessed aren’t just doomers. Heavy rockers have always been part of the program and this is one of them Jailine. The story rides quickly and with a beautiful solo through the story of a drug-filled love affair that ends bitterly in betrayal.
The band can’t achieve such a golden high again as at the beginning of the album. Yen Sleep is dark doom with a maximum of roasting guitars. The lyrics leave a lot of room for interpretation. Again is Wine responsible for the song and doesn’t jump over his shadow. He delivers what he wants and can.
The one minute finish on Gilded Sorrow comes with Lucky Free Nice Machine unexpectedly. After all the doom pieces, the instrumental sounds almost positive, despite the perfect riff. This makes the piece surprising, but it seems like a fleeting idea that didn’t make it into a whole song length.
Conclusion
The Obsessed can still surprise in 2024. Especially at the beginning it’s shimmering Gilded Sorrow, although it always remains in the genre. The new addition to the rhythm guitar has brought new colors and provides a denser feel, even without the excessive use of fuzz. Ultimately it is Wine who is varied and charismatic when singing and thus puts his stamp on everything. 9 / 10
Line Up
Scott Wine Weinrich – lead guitar, vocals
Brian Costantino – drums, backing vocals
Jason Taylor – Rhythmusgitarre
Chris Angleberger – Bass
Tracklist
01. Daughter Of An Echo
02. The Obsessed
03. Realize A Dream
04. Gilded Sorrow
05. Stoned Back To The Bomb Age
06. Wellspring-Dark Sunshine
07. Jailine
08. Yen Sleep
09. Lucky Free Nice Machine
Links
Facebook The Obsessed
Instagram The Obsessed
Also on Soundmagnet.eu
Album Review – Slower – Slower
Split EP Review – Lotus Thief / Forlesen – Split
Live Album Review – Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats – Slaughter On First Avenue
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