Obsidian Kingdom’s Meat Machine: mind-altering menace from post-metal shapeshifters

Barcelona voyagers Obsidian Kingdom venture into unexplored territories on new album Meat Machine

(Image: © Season Of Mist)

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Forging a worthy follow-up to acclaimed predecessor A Year With No Summer, this Catalonian quintet have ventured even further into unexplored sonic territories. Meat Machine is aptly titled; cranked up to a suitable volume, it twists and turns, carving out slices of post-metal, experimental rock and late-90s alt-rock, cut through with sudden introspective calms. Opener The Edge is a swirling mass of heaving riffs and anguished bellowing, each lumbering groove shrouded in the rumbling dissonance of Daughters’ scathing hardcore template. Featuring tumbling waves of unsettling electronica, Womb Of Wire is a more Deftones-esque freakout, albeit subtly menacing and trippy as hell. The rest are equally immersive and destined to enthrall anyone with a penchant for altered states and arse-shattering riffs. An instantly engaging experience that rewards with each subsequent listen.