After the CD landed at home, I couldn’t wait to immediately listen to the mini album from the melodic death metal band OBLIVIUM REGNUM from the Czech Republic. This EP, which was released on February 1st, 2023, entitled “Zrádce“, contains 4 songs.
OBLIVIUM REGNUM was formed in mid-2017, when project initiators Michal (bass, ex- DEPRESSIVE REALITY) and Tomáš (vocals, ex- DEPRESSIVE REALITY) contacted their old friends Luboš (guitar, ex-STIGMA and DEPRESSIVE REALITY), Slávka (drums, THE RAYS OF THE SUN, ex- DEPRESSIVE REALITY) and Ervína (guitar, THE RAYS OF THE SUN, ex- DEPRESSIVE REALITY) and together they started to create the first song recorded on the currently released MCD “Zrádce“.
Musically, the project features classic and melodic death metal with a strong influence from doom metal and classic heavy metal elements. Meanwhile, the lyrical content of their songs is taken from the historical period of the reign of prince and king Přemysl, which is perhaps the most famous period in Czech history.
As an opening, the first song is entitled “Břetislav a Jitka” and immediately starts with a dark feel by including elements of a church choir, with a combination of death metal music with doom metal music nuances, this is strengthened by the inclusion of a female singer’s voice in this song. Powerful growl vocals and light guitar rhythms and in some moments they include beautiful guitar melodies. The melodic guitar in the solo gives the character of melodic metal music.
Continues to the second song “Zrádce” and it still has a dark aroma, but this second song feels more thrashy with a strong classic heavy metal guitar rhythm, equipped with a fast guitar solo and full of beautiful melodies. Then the song “Homburg“, in this song the tempo rises slightly and the song has more of a pure melodic death metal character. With denser guitar rhythms and non-stop drums, guitar melodies are embedded in solos and refrain moments.
The fourth song, which is also the closing song entitled “Poslední bitva“, in this song the tempo drops again and the music tends to be darker but more operatic and melancholic, the guitar beats color the rhythm which is heavy but feels melodic and easy for the ear to digest, occasionally in a few moments song, they include guitar melodies which make this song feel more relaxed.
Overall, as a debut EP, this album is quite enjoyable to enjoy, the combination of melodic death metal, doom metal and classic heavy metal music that they play and wrapped in an epic historical story during the prince’s reign makes this album quite complete in its elements. In terms of production and sound quality, I think they still have to do more than what they did on this EP.
LINE UP:
Michal – Bass
Slávek – Drums
Ervín – Guitars
Luboš – Guitars
Tom – Vocals
TRACKLIST:
1. Břetislav a Jitka
2. Zrádce
3. Homburg
4. Poslední bitva
SCORE:
Music: 7
Production: 7
Bandzone: http://bandzone.cz/obliviumregnum
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Oblivium-Regnum/100063691537748/
