Tag Archives: ben der

Album Review – Silent Obsession / Countdown EP (2021)

Posted on by
Reply

This up-and-coming Algerian Death Metal outfit is back with an in-depth extreme musical perspective into the devastating, global apocalypse.

3.0rating

silent-obsession-countdown-ep-2021Following the release of their 2020 EP Lost, Algiers, Algeria-based Death Metal outfit Silent Obsession is back with another short and sweet display of violence, heaviness and speed in the form of a new EP entitled Countdown. Written and composed by the band’s mastermind and guitarist Max Marginal and produced by Redouane Aouameur of Fermata Studios, the EP portrays an in-depth extreme musical perspective into the devastating, global apocalypse carefully brought forth by the aforementioned Max together with Danny on vocals and guitars, Manil on bass, and Ben Der on drums. “It’s about the apocalypse, the end of the world,” commented Max, also complementing by saying that “Silent Obsession reaches a highest level of a global mental failure, when madness become something legit in this society,” giving us all a very good idea of all the aggressiveness and brutality found in the band’s new EP.

After the short and infernal intro Apocalyptic Manifestation, Silent Obsession come crushing our souls with their venomous Death Metal in End of an Era, where Ben Der showcases all his talent behind his drums, providing Danny and Max all they need to slash their strings mercilessly and with Danny also vomiting the song’s acid words nonstop. There’s absolutely no time to breathe as the quartet keeps hammering our skulls with their old school Death Metal in Exhausted Resource, another violent and heavy-as-hell creation where Manil and Ben Der are on fire with their thunderous kitchen accompanied by the monstrous roars by Danny and the always visceral riffage and wicked solos by Max, living up to the legacy of bands the likes of Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse and Deicide and, therefore, leaving us utterly eager for more of their music in a not-so-distant future.

silent-obsession-2021If you’re curious to know how ass-kicking Algerian Death Metal sounds, you can listen to Silent Obsession’s new EP on YouTube and on Spotify, and soon you’ll be able to purchase it from your regular retailers and show your support to the underground from “Algiers the White.” Also, don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about Max and his henchmen. Silent Obsession couldn’t have released their new EP about the end of the world in a more appropriate time, as it looks like that’s exactly what we’re experiencing everywhere with viruses, natural disasters, wars, conflicts, hunger and climate change disturbing our peace. At least, as I always say, we’ll have another set of high-quality songs to be added to the end of the world’s soundtrack when that inevitable moment comes, and let’s hope the band releases a more robust full-length opus in the coming months to show us everything they got in the name of old school Death Metal.

Best moments of the album: Exhausted Resource.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing
1. Apocalyptic Manifestation 0:30
2. End of an Era 2:55
3. Exhausted Resource 2:51

Band members
Danny – vocals, guitars
Max Marginal – guitars
Manil – bass
Ben Der – drums

Album Review – Silent Obsession / Lost EP (2020)

Posted on by
1

Bang your heads to this venomous fusion of Technical, Progressive and Brutal Death Metal made in Algeria.

Inspired by renowned bands such as Decapitated and Morbid Angel, among other modern metal acts, Algiers, Algeria-based Death Metal unity Silent Obsession is eager to spread their fusion of Technical and Brutal Death Metal with more contemporary styles such as Groove Metal to all four corners of the earth, sending a bold message that Algerian metal can be as vibrant, demolishing and entertaining as any of their North American or European friends. Originally conceived as a solo project by guitarist Max Marginal in 2017 aiming at exploring humanity’s dark side, Silent Obsession evolved to a full-bodied band in the next couple of years until reaching their current lineup comprised of the aforementioned Max Marginal on the guitar, Danny on vocals and guitar, Manil on bass and Ben Der on drums, strengthening their sound and creativity and, consequently, culminating with the release now in 2020 of their debut EP entitled Lost, bringing to our avid ears 12 minutes of top-of-the-line extreme music made in the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

The blazing guitars by Danny and Max set the tone in the violent EP intro, already showcasing all their skills while Ben Der crushes his drums manically and also presenting elements from Thrash and Black Metal, with Danny’s vicious roars adding a touch of malignancy to the overall result. Then bringing tons of progressiveness and rage together with their core sonority the quartet fires Paranoia Activity, where Manil’s bass punches will hit you hard in the face and with Danny growling more deeply and demonically than before in a technical display of Death Metal infused with Groove Metal nuances, all spiced up by some sick guitar solos, whereas D.E.A.D. sounds even more violent and devastating, with Manil and Ben Der generating an earthquake with their sonic weapons while Danny and Max keep extracting sheer dementia form their guitars, not to mention how rabid and insane Danny’s roars sound. In other words, this is an absolutely perfect Progressive Death Metal tune for smashing your spinal cord into the circle pit. Lastly, in Destruction of the Spirit the band once again blends their core Death Metal with other extreme styles such as Thrash Metal and even Progressive Groove Metal, with their riffs and solos being utterly fantastic, accompanied by the always infernal drums by Ben Der.

Just like their friends from Lelahell, Litham and Hellium, among several other excellent bands, Silent Obsession are determined to carry the flag of Algerian Death Metal wherever they go, and their debut effort Lost is indeed a great example of what they are capable of offering to demanding metalheads always searching for heavy, violent and fast music. Hence, don’t forget to give the EP a listen on Spotify, on YouTube and on Deezer, to follow Silent Obsession on their official Facebook page for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about the band, and to purchase a copy of Lost from Apple Music. Max and his loyal henchmen are eager to know what you think of their debut installment, especially if you’re a diehard fan of underground Death Metal, showing you once again that not only high-quality metal music can be found anywhere in the world, but also if Death Metal is your cup of tea, you should definitely take a musical trip to “Al Jaza’ir”.

Best moments of the album: D.E.A.D.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Intro 2:34
2. Paranoia Activity 4:32
3. D.E.A.D. 3:11
4. Destruction of the Spirit 2:22

Band members
Danny – vocals, guitars
Max Marginal – guitars
Manil – bass
Ben Der – drums