Ulterium Records
2012
1. Order Of Chaos
2. Twist Of The Knife
3. Forbidden Desire
4. When The Smoke Clears
5. License To Kill
6. Wages Of Sin
7. Cold Day In Hell
8. Act Of God
9. Mercy Killing
10. Dark Shadows
All I can say about this one is Finally. I know Obsession isn't really a full time band at this point, but their 'reunion' album of sorts, Carnival Of Lies, just left me wanting more. It's been 6 years since that one, but considering how strong the band came back, I expected good things of this as well. I've always enjoyed Obsession and they have a sort of special place with me as a good local act. The Connecticut scene used to be pretty strong back in the day and it's nice to see artists like Obsession, Sacred Oath, John Arch, and Liege Lord reappearing.
After listening to Order Of Chaos, I can say it's pretty much what one would expect of Obsession. This is straight up heavy metal with an air of the 80s about it, drawing on familiar Priest and Maiden influences. The vocals are high and the music is mostly mid-paced and no frills. Nothing to reinvent the wheel here, but I really wouldn't expect that from a band which is essentially a side project throwback. I see this band as a bit of nostalgia on vocalist Michael Vescera's part and the music pretty well fits that concept. The music is elevated by some strong vocal deliveries and some good leads though and basically does what it seeks to do well.
Strong cuts include Cold Day In Hell which benefits from some solid lead work and energy, Twist Of The Knife which has melodic/catchy guitar and good vocal melodies, and Wages Of Sin which is slower and once again finds it strength in memorable melodies and powerful vocals. I didn't find the highlights Quite as strong as Carnival Of Lies, but all in all Order of Chaos is not far removed from that album. I think my criticism of this album would have to be that at times it does get a little by the numbers and seems to settle comfortably into it's own throwback cliches. I also thought Carnival Of Lies had a bit more power metal sort of energy injected into it where as this one can get a little overly mid-paced.
All in all, this album does seem to do what it sets out to do. It's basically an unapologetic throwback and it comes off well. The band has the leads and vocals to back it up as well as some good song highlights. If you like Obsession, I don't see why you wouldn't like this and fans of 80s American Traditional/Power should dig this.
Highlights: Cold Day In Hell, Wages Of Sin, Twist Of The Knife
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Twist Of The Knife
3. Forbidden Desire
4. When The Smoke Clears
5. License To Kill
6. Wages Of Sin
7. Cold Day In Hell
8. Act Of God
9. Mercy Killing
10. Dark Shadows
All I can say about this one is Finally. I know Obsession isn't really a full time band at this point, but their 'reunion' album of sorts, Carnival Of Lies, just left me wanting more. It's been 6 years since that one, but considering how strong the band came back, I expected good things of this as well. I've always enjoyed Obsession and they have a sort of special place with me as a good local act. The Connecticut scene used to be pretty strong back in the day and it's nice to see artists like Obsession, Sacred Oath, John Arch, and Liege Lord reappearing.
After listening to Order Of Chaos, I can say it's pretty much what one would expect of Obsession. This is straight up heavy metal with an air of the 80s about it, drawing on familiar Priest and Maiden influences. The vocals are high and the music is mostly mid-paced and no frills. Nothing to reinvent the wheel here, but I really wouldn't expect that from a band which is essentially a side project throwback. I see this band as a bit of nostalgia on vocalist Michael Vescera's part and the music pretty well fits that concept. The music is elevated by some strong vocal deliveries and some good leads though and basically does what it seeks to do well.
Strong cuts include Cold Day In Hell which benefits from some solid lead work and energy, Twist Of The Knife which has melodic/catchy guitar and good vocal melodies, and Wages Of Sin which is slower and once again finds it strength in memorable melodies and powerful vocals. I didn't find the highlights Quite as strong as Carnival Of Lies, but all in all Order of Chaos is not far removed from that album. I think my criticism of this album would have to be that at times it does get a little by the numbers and seems to settle comfortably into it's own throwback cliches. I also thought Carnival Of Lies had a bit more power metal sort of energy injected into it where as this one can get a little overly mid-paced.
All in all, this album does seem to do what it sets out to do. It's basically an unapologetic throwback and it comes off well. The band has the leads and vocals to back it up as well as some good song highlights. If you like Obsession, I don't see why you wouldn't like this and fans of 80s American Traditional/Power should dig this.
Highlights: Cold Day In Hell, Wages Of Sin, Twist Of The Knife
Rating - 3.5/5
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