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Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel

by Matt Hensch

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Stacked up next to the near-decade it took "Portal of I" to see the light of day, "Citadel" was chalked up and heaved out fast enough to make Mike Portnoy's head spin. Just two years passed before Ne Obliviscaris created the follow-up to the long-awaited, much-anticipated debut. "Portal of I," when released, verified the technical proficiency and dynamic chemistry among this extreme progressive metal band; a tremendous experience, one of 2012's finest releases. "Citadel," in contrast to the group's debut, seems to be the weaker product. Not to stomp on the thing and laugh in its face as it cries in a puddle of its own urine, but there is a variance in quality. The gentlemen of Ne Obliviscaris, however, are incredible musicians of otherworldly talent; their extraordinary harmony is unquestionably a redeeming feature of "Citadel."

However, "Citadel" almost feels as if Ne Obliviscaris cut down on the costs a bit. Half of the six tracks are serene instrumentals serving as introductions and conclusions to the remaining three songs. They are nice, tranquil bits that provide as satisfying an experience as brief instrumentals will allow, but these intervals are not relevant sources of quality compared to the trio of juggernauts running up all but a slither of the album's running time. The monstrous "Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux" runs for over sixteen minutes, while "Pyrrhic" and the first part of "Devour Me, Colossus" ring up ten and twelve minutes, respectively. They are musical titans, encapsulating dozens of influences and styles that somehow interlock smoothly, giving a brief foretaste of the huge entity that is Ne Obliviscaris.

These songs are impressively intangible. Xenoyr's growls, more guttural here than on "Portal of I," and blast beats escort the abstract-bent black/death metal riffing, showing hues of guitar and bass work not foreign to certain incarnations of Cynic or Atheist. Again, the violin sections and solos are dramatically linked to the enlightened carnage in a way that should not work but does so charmingly, kind of like having a peanut butter and bacon sandwich (try it and see what I mean). Tim Charles has a soothing voice to either counter or match his surroundings, though his parts fit the whole picture with ease. Ne Obliviscaris has universes of creative avenues to work with; there are never dull moments in their constellation.

My only guff is that these tracks could be cut a bit, just a trim here and there. Sixteen minutes of abstract tapestry on "Triptych Lux" is a little much after the initial infatuation wears off. Part one of "Devour Me, Colossus" and "Pyrrhic" have their moments of sounding a little too fattening as well, but the tremendous moments outweigh the minor inconsistencies by leaps and bounds. To topple the seamless flow of progressive landscapes on "Portal of I" proved to be a hurdle for "Citadel," although there is no shame in Ne Obliviscaris' alluring voyage. They are talented musicians who have acquired a kind of Midas touch to the strange yet compelling abyss of extreme progressive metal; simply listening to the group in the most rudimentary sense is utterly enthralling.

Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
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