Already in existence since late 1992, OBTEST have a seemingly long discography. Nevertheless, this is my very first contact to the band, hence expect no comparison with any previous releases. For a first contact, I would say this Lithuanian ‘heathen war metal’ band does in fact deserve the positive reactions from media and general listeners they have been receiving over the years.
That the band play some sort of ‘heathen’ or ‘war’ metal is obvious from the very layout of the booklet, from the colors chosen (mostly blues and greens), through to the method of painting (water~colour, if I am not mistaken) and, of course, the war garments worn by the four people therein depicted. And then the time comes when the (first and foremost listener and, only afterwards) reviewer of this album puts the CD in the stereo and starts listening to whatever OBTEST have to offer (come to think of it, it all depends on the point of view: if you buy the album, the band are not actually ‘offering’ anything, are they?). My first reaction was along the lines of: ‘Not very surprising so far. Let me see if there is something special or out of the ordinary about this album.’ There was not much innovation, special effects, playing techniques or whatever else that made me look at the album with different eyes. But there was a certain soul pervading the album with an epic feel to it that turned any listening session into an absolutely fantastic experience.
The original lyrics are sung exclusively in Lithuanian, which means that unless you understand the language, you will not really get a word of what they are saying or singing or whatever. In Lithuanian they are also written, but at least there is one possibility of understanding their words: all lyrics have been translated into English. Without getting into unnecessary debates around the translation techniques used (not in the least because I have no way of comparing the translation with the source text), I would say the English version is quite interesting and a certain attention has been given to rhyme. Anyways, this is how I know Auka Seniems Dievams means Offering to the Ancient Gods. Is their Heathen philosophy clearer now?
For instants, the intro of Zirgas Parnes Mano Kuna Namo (Home Shall My Horse Carry My Body) ~ slightly reminiscent of Trojan legends Hector and Acquilles ~ brought HERESIARH to mind. In fact, still brooding over their genre, I would say OBTEST definitely sound Baltic. The Latvian SKYFORGER and HERESIARH are some of the (few) bands who resemble their sound. Perhaps it is somehow inevitable, since these bands do have Heathenism engraved in the hallowed wood of their essence (including HERESIARH, the winged Dragon Metal constellation).
Musically, OBTEST make good use of their Black Metal influences and the final result is not boring, because there seems to be a balanced concoction of melody and aggressiveness emphasized by a very flexible singer (variations from bard register to harsher, deeper grunted vocals) and a voiceless heavy~metal rhythmic section. The outcome is thus a very interesting piece of musical art.
The negative aspect of the album is perhaps the somewhat thick production. The band would certainly benefit from a different sound treatment in order to transmit the energy and power of their music.
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Obtest – Anapus Nemuno