‘Astrosaur’s virtuous necro-nautic universe consists of equal parts instrumental rock and post-metal, studded with lavish prog, jazz, mathrock and black metal ornaments’ – so says the press release.
What this actually means is that they do chug and grind and drive – hard – but also showcase an immense flamboyance, with solid drumming and sturdy basslines obliterated by monster fretwanks that go on FOR EVER are equally defining features of the five long songs (the majority are well over six minutes) on offer here.
There are times – many times – when the compositions and arrangements both get a bit busy. But, objectively, the riffs, when they land, and as they do frequently, are immense: ‘White Stone’ hits a killer groove and thunders away hard for a good while. There are some neat atmospheric passages, too, although they tend to be brief, mere bridges between riffs and crescendos – which suggests that I should be digging this, and it’s undeniable that ‘Obscuroscope’ is an album that packs density and momentum, with riffs and climaxes packed in close succession.
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