Album Review: Obscura // Eradikator

Eradikator is a metal band from Birmingham. They’ve gained a reputation for writing well-crafted songs, which pack so much energy.

The band worked with Russ Russell on their new album Obscura, who has previously produced albums by Evile and Napalm Death. There are nods to both Mastodon and even Slayer, but there is also intense energy which sounds very refreshing.

The guitar leads are very melodic, such as on the opening one-two punch of ‘Nightmare Dawning‘ and ‘Poisoned Sorrow‘, with some serious guitar riffs and solos. It’s really refreshing, and it sets the tone for the rest of the album. ‘Poisoned Sorrow‘ is full of bruising thrashy riffs, making it so much fun to listen to.

“Sometimes it feels like metal can be stale, with commonly rehashed ideas. Eradikator doesn’t play by these rules and continue to keep things interesting”.

There are other moments here which helps Eradikator come into their own. ‘Resolve’ slows things down but its riff is still gonna be suitable for the pit, ‘Haunting’ balances the clean and distorted guitar tones nicely to create a big soundscape of straight-up metal with a beautiful solo that is deserving if its big production.

When listening to Obscura, you clearly hear a band in Eradikator that puts their heart into the entire release. They hold nothing back, and it really shows. It is a strong burst of energy. Sometimes records can, with time wilt away, but I can tell that personally, Obscura has a lot of staying power. With a big sound that will resonate with a lot of people. Not that they will be in short supply of fans with this release, that is something that will not be something that they need to worry about.

Words by Ermis Madikopoulos

Image by: Watchmaker Studios