Doom-filled
The impressive experimental Doom/Drone metal noise created by the four piece (Massimo Pupillo, Eraldo Bernocci, Lorenzo sposito Fornasari and Balazs Pandi)that make up Obake brings in elements of many other genres (blues/math-rock/electronica) to make this a very interesting debut record; not just dark and atmospheric but multi layered and full of quirks - 'The End Of It All' soothes with Fornasari's operatic vocals and warm bass then tests your ears with little electro whirring noises, fuzzy distortion and full-on screaming but then at the other end of the spectrum you have the dreamy instrumental electronics of 'Letters To Ghosts' which feels like it was written for one of the flying car sequences in 'Bladerunner'.
The vocals throughout are always impressive; Fornasari can turn his hand to eerie death metal crooning and operatic style sections as well as he can to screams and indeed, whatever else is required of him and the record certainly makes use of this with a huge variety of styles used. Pandi's drumming is just as creative and intense; on the instrumental and cinematic track 'Szechenyi' he goes from jazz style solos to experimental percussive atmospherics and hypnotic repetitive moments, changing rhythm and pace so often it's hard to keep up and he makes it sound far too easy.
Technical skill aside (and there is plenty to be had here) the record still draws you in; the thrill of the doom filled riffs, those shrill little bleeps and odd little melodic blasts of electro and the nasty distortion on those fluid vocals at times is seriously hypnotic - you know if you keep listening you will end up somewhere pretty dark but you just can't help yourself.