FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
On November 19, 2021, Obscura released their sixth full-length studio album A Valediction via Nuclear Blast Records.
(Original Advertisement for the release)
Background:
In April 2020, Obscura announced guitarist Rafael Trujillo, bassist Linus Klausenitzer and drummer Sebastian Lanser parting ways with the band due to musical differences. Shortly after the band announced that former fretless bass player Jeroen Paul Thesseling and former guitarist Christian Münzner rejoined the band.
Prior to entering the studio, Steffen Kummerer stated;
As of now, songwriting duties for the new, yet untitled album, have been finished. We picked the most promising compositions out of more than twenty pieces written during the last months and we can’t wait to record our sixth studio effort, starting in December. While the new album contains more guitar solos than any of our records before, all compositions are eagerly waiting to be performed live on stage and celebrated worldwide with our fans. As a collective, we are enthusiastic about the diverse, progressive and heavy songs to be released in 2021 through Nuclear Blast records.”
The 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.
Music videos were released for the tracks Solaris, A Valediction, Devoured Usurper, When Stars Collide and The Neuromancer.
Also in November 2021, Obscura announced a North American tour that featured Abysmal Dawn, Vale of Pnath and Interloper in support of the album. That tour took place in 2022.
For September and October 2022, Obscura announced a European Tour promoting A Valediction with support from Disillusion and Persefone.
On November 19, 2022, just one year after it’s release, guitarist Christian Münzner took to Facebook saying;
“I worked myself to complete exhaustion over this album, still very proud of how this turned out and I wouldn't really change a thing. Glad it was so well received by most fans.”
Performance & Critical Reception:
A Valediction reached No. 1 on the iTunes chart in many countries, including Australia, Japan, and Mexico. It also reached No. 3 in the UK and Brazil, while it reached the No. 4 position in the US, Germany and Russia.
About A Valediction, 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."
Sean Mclennan of New Noise stated the album "contains a collection of the band's most vibrant and emotive material heard on record."
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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