A Valediction is the sixth studio album by the German technical death metal band Obscura. It was released by the music label Nuclear Blast on 19 November 2021.
| A Valediction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 November 2021 | |||
| Studio | Studio Fredman | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:35 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Fredrik Nordström | |||
| Obscura chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Valediction | ||||
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Background
editThe album was written and recorded separately by the band members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recordings were then sent to Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. The vocals and acoustic guitar parts were recorded there and the final album was mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström.[1]
Music videos were released for the tracks "Solaris", "A Valediction", "Devoured Usurper", "When Stars Collide", "The Neuromancer" and "Heritage".
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Injection | 9.5/10[2] |
| Metal Storm | 8.2/10[3] |
Kevin Stewart-Panko of Metal Injection wrote "As far as technical death metal goes, A Valediction will receive deserved glowing praise from fans and heaps of critical brown nosing from those in the know."[2] Sean Mclennan of New Noise stated the album "contains a collection of the band's most vibrant and emotive material heard on record."[4]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Steffen Kummerer
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forsaken" | 7:16 | |
| 2. | "Solaris" |
| 3:41 |
| 3. | "A Valediction" |
| 3:27 |
| 4. | "When Stars Collide" | Münzner | 5:08 |
| 5. | "In Unity" |
| 4:48 |
| 6. | "Devoured Usurper" | Münzner | 5:30 |
| 7. | "The Beyond" | Münzner | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Orbital Elements II" (Instrumental) |
| 4:01 |
| 9. | "The Neuromancer" | Münzner | 4:41 |
| 10. | "In Adversity" | Münzner | 4:09 |
| 11. | "Heritage" | Kummerer | 5:01 |
Personnel
editObscura
- Steffen Kummerer – guitar, vocals
- Christian Münzner – guitar
- Jeroen Paul Thesseling – bass
- David Diepold – drums
Additional personnel
- Fredrik Nordström – producer, mixing, mastering
- Mathias Garmusch, Robert Kukla, Yuma van Eekelen – additional engineering
- Björn Strid – vocals (track 4)
- Eliran Kantor – artwork
- Vincent Grundke – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 93 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] | 69 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Nuclear Blast - Obscura- A Valediction Overview". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b Stewart-Panko, Kevin. "Metal Injection - Obscura - A Valediction Review". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Metal Storm - Obscura - A Valediction Review". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Mclennan, Sean. "New Noise - Obscura - A Valediction Review". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Obscura – A Valediction" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Obscura – A Valediction". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2021.