ALBUM REVIEW: "Urn" by Ne Obliviscaris

I really like Ne Obliviscaris. Portal of I and Citadel are two of my favourite extreme metal albums of the last 10 years, and both get regular play time. Given this, it's no surprise that I like Urn. Do I love it? Not really. At this stage Ne Obliviscaris have written such a volume of their winding, gothic sounding compositions that these songs unfortunately have the wow factor that their previous material had when I first heard it. I never thought I would say this, but Urn sounds exactly how I thought it would, and for Ne Obliviscaris this is opposite to the desired effect. I've talked about the three album rule before, and while pumping out three of the exact same album renders albums like In Hearts Wake's Ark and The Amity Affliction's This Could Be Heartbreak near unlistenable, the sheer talent and passion on show throughout Urn allows it to well and truly dodge that mire. It's just not as exciting and mysterious as I found their previous work. Having said that, if you've never heard this band before I have no doubt it will blow your mind, because all the NeO trademarks are still here. For me though, as an initiated NeO fan, there just weren't enough fresh ideas to differentiate it from essentially a Citadel 2.0.

Favourite Tracks: Libera and Urn

Least Favourite Track: Intra Venus

Rating: B

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