Band:	Eradikator
Album:	Obscura
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	August 2019

01. Nightmare Dawning
02. Poisoned To Sorrow
03. Revolve
04. Haunting
05. Hourglass
06. Eyes Of Old
07. Bound To You
08. I Want To Believe
09. The Siren Song

An album that seeks to set itself apart from what came before it, fulfilling that goal with irony by being the worst record they've released to date. I don't begrudge any band wanting to broaden their horizons and modify their sound, but it is a risk that, like this album shows, can backfire spectacularly.

The main thing that hits you on this record is the desire to experiment; gone mostly are the thrash elements of previous records, and in is a desire to embrace different sounds. I've seen people label this their Black Album, but that isn't an apt description; while it tones down the thrash attack, it doesn't streamline its approach in a similar vein to fit that description. If, when you see the word experiment, you think Devin Townsend or [/band]Mr Bungle[/band], don't get your hopes up. Different sounds and structures are thrown in, but they don't embrace the insanity that messrs Townsend and Patton do.

Some of the new elements seem simple enough, "Bound to You" has a quiet/loud motif that is more grunge than metal. While it is interesting and attention grabbing, it doesn't excel as a song and finds itself in the middle of the road. "I Want to Believe" throws Western guitar licks throughout after an intro that invokes mental images of saloons. Like "Bound to You", beyond those licks that are peppered throughout, it is also an average song.

The standout track on here is "Hourglass", a track built around a jazz groove that grabs your attention and leads you through a top-notch song. While nowhere as technically proficient, it reminds me of Coroner with its ability to mix jazziness and heaviness. Managing to balance the heaviness of old with a new emphasis on rhythm, this is a blueprint the band should have stuck to more.

One overarching problem with this album is the vocals; while it is not that different from previous releases, the slower rhythms mean they don't distract you like they did before, leaving the vocals more exposed as a result. While the singer has a good voice, on tracks like "Haunting" it becomes monotonous, and often stretches too far trying to hit notes and holding onto them too long.

Hopefully the band will be able to bounce back from this, either by learning from its mistakes and trying again, or reverting to type and returning to the sounds of old. Either way, don't go out of your way to grab this album; "Hourglass" is worthy of a download but the rest is forgettable.