Time Signature MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Black metal has come a long way, and today's black metal landscape ranges from the raw and filthy end (e.g. Bahimiron and Nadiwrath) over the brutal variety (e.g. Svarttjern and Tsjuder) and the melodic variety (e.g. Darkenhöld and Denial of God) to the more elaborate and artsy end, where we find symphonic acts, such as Dimmu Borgir and Carach Angren, progressive acts, such as Enslaved, and avant-garde acts, such as Total Negation and Chryst. Oblomov's debut album "Mighty Cosmic Dance" belongs to the more artsy end of the black metal spectrum without being either avant-garde or weird.

The album opens with a spacey synth-based instrumental intro which explodes into 'Mentality Failure', and for a second, one might think that this is just going to be another black metal blastbeat-fest, but the song quickly goes down a path of variation and melody and culminates in an almost epic keyboard-enhanced final passage. The following track, 'Redefinition of the Past' opens with an extremely melodic section, which has more in common with traditional metal than black metal, but takes on a slightly more doom metal character for a while, before the tempo increases, as the song morphs into a blend of black metal and melodic thrash metal. By now, it is clear to the listener that Oblomov are not one of those black metal bands who only use two or three riffs, but a band who embraces variation.

The two first tracks are not bad at all, but it is only with 'Lost Between Emotions' that things get really interesting. In addition to the already varied and melodic style of Oblomov, this song features a really cool saxophone lead and even concludes with a very original combination of aggressive metal guitars and a folksy flute. At times bordering on the symphonic, the next track 'Starsend' also features a really cool saxophone lead and an epic choir. While less experimental, 'The Plague' is nonetheless also quite a musical experience.

After the sublime experience that is the triumvirate of 'Lost Between Emotions', 'Starsend', and 'The Blague', the heavier 'Nostalgic Idealization' feels a bit like a slowly deflating balloon, and 'Dreamworks' continues this trend. In all fairness, however, the latter features a very nice breakdown and subsequent instrumental section which together do blow a bit of air back into the balloon before the album is concluded by an outro which, like the intro, is a spacey synth-based instrumental.

The primary generator of melody is the band's use of melodic leads, be it guitar leads, saxophone leads or keyboard leads, but there are several instances where the riffs themselves seem to be inherently melodic. This is definitely something a person like me, who admittedly has never learned to appreciate the more barren and raw genres of black metal, can get behind. Moreover, I really like how much variation there is on this album, and it is clear that the band had a real artistic vision when they made this album. However, the things that I appreciate about "Mighty Cosmic Dances" are likely, I think, to be features that many black metal fans will reject. The variation might be seen as unfocused and the melodic orientation as poppy, and, overall, the album is probably as non-kvlt as can be. Thant again, who gives a fuck about that? But, even though I have a lot of appreciation for the album, it is not an album that I love without reservation. The high point is definitely the sublime triumvirate of 'Lost Between Emotions'/'Starsend'/'The Plague', but after that, the album quickly loses its energy and, sadly, limps out the backdoor.

Still, it's not a bad album, and I can see myself listening to some of the songs repeatedly in the future, but it is probably not an album I will listen to from beginning to end very many times.

Warthur MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Bookended by spacy synthesiser instrumentals to establish the titular cosmic themes of the album, Mighty Cosmic Dances by Oblomov at first sounds like a comparatively standard melodic black metal album, if competently performed.

That said, it isn’t too long before certain differences emerge. For one thing, Oblomov seem much happier to throw in honest-to-goodness solos than your standard black metal act, and apply a clean production style so as to tease out the best of those rather than burying them in wailing distortion; indeed, some instrumental sections, such as the opening couple of minutes of Redefinition of the Past, resemble prog metal more than black metal.

Between that, the offbeat choice of subject matter (there’s a song inspired by Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, for instance, which is hardly a very black metal topic), and the way they don’t use pseudonyms and corpsepaint as a major component of their look, it’s clear that Oblomov aren’t too interested in being kvlt black metal purists, but as well as throwing in more accessible sections they’re also willing to experiment a bit with the format, tossing in the occasional instrumental solo which defies expectations.

You get this towards the end of Mentality Failure, with some pretty synth twinkling which by itself would sound naive but at the end of that track carries a certain gravitas; they really go to town with it on Lost Between Emotions, which combines some of the most ferocious playing on the album with lovelorn lyrics and honest to goodness saxophone solo with synthesiser backing - and then, towards the end of the song, what sounds to me like an honest to goodness didgeridoo, though rather than making it sound like a cod-Australian novelty track it instead (with the aid of the synthesiers) gives it a quasi-medieval flavour, like the didgeridoo is being used to make a sound not dissimilar to a crumhorn.

The saxophone returns again towards the end of Starsend, lending the conclusion a sort of Van der Graaf Generator character - not in terms of musical similarity, but in terms of using the saxophone as an instrument to express tension and anxiety, as happens in the most nightmarish VdGG tracks. (It also heralds perhaps some of the best synthesiser playing on the album, including either an honest-to-goodness mellotron or a decent facsimile of one). The subsequent tracks are more standard melodic black metal fare, but strong examples of the form by and large - and just when you think things have become predictable again, Nostalgic Idealization fades out on a gentle unaccompanied organ solo to keep you guessing, whilst closing song Dreamworks represents the heaviest song on the album but also includes some strange processed vocals towards the end that really help keep up the otherworldly atmosphere.

From what I have heard, the followup album Communitas (Deconstructing the Order) takes their genre-blending and use of unexpected instrumental ingredients even further, and this debut album certainly makes me want to explore that, but it also reveals them as a very capable melodic black metal unit who are able to let their experimental instincts spice up their compositions without upstaging them.

666sharon666 MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Mighty Cosmic Dances, the 2005 debut album of Czech melodic black/death metal act Oblomov, comes across as the sound of a band who don't quite know what they want to do. With a sound that blends elements of the two extreme metal styles more or less evenly, they haven't produced a bad album per se, but it is one where most of the time they seem to be doing one thing, but every so often a different band escapes and takes charge. And this other band is much more willing to step outside of the comfort zone established by the other one.

Obviously the band's music is at its most interesting during these parts. A key track to my ears is Lost Between Emotions, which shows the extent of what Oblomov are actually able to pull off. Their more straight-forward work is not bad music, they deliver a decent enough black/death metal song, but once I've heard that track and have realised what they can do when all the stops are pulled out, sitting through the more normal sections feels like I'm just waiting for something to happen. It's kind of like how you feel when you make a telephone call but get put on hold: it gets boring after a while. Something may happen again sooner or later, but ultimately you get put on hold again. It doesn't make for a too enjoyable listen because of that.

In summary this isn't a bad album from Oblomov, just a disjointed one. It does enough to make me curious about the following album Communitas (Deconstructing the Order), from 2009, but doesn't give me too much pleasure in and of itself.

Nightfly Released in 2005, Mighty Cosmic Dances is the debut album from Czech black metal band Oblomov. Even before listening to the album a glance at the cover suggests an album with sci-fi themes and so it is though from a musical point of view only the synth driven Intro and Outro sound particularly spacey.

At thirty nine minutes it’s a fairly short album by today’s standards but that’s no bad thing in itself as many albums far outstay their welcome with large quantities of filler. The album kicks in properly with Mentality Fatigue and it’s pretty standard black metal fayre of the more melodic variety, well enough played though falling short of anything to set it apart from numerous other releases. However, as the album progresses it becomes apparent that Oblomov aren’t going to be restricted to traditional metal instrumentation and introduce sax for the first, but not last time on Lost Between Emotions as well as what sounds like a particularly cheap organ and a whistle/recorder. I’m all for experimentation and hats off to bands that don’t allow themselves to be constrained by genre boundaries but the sax in particular sounds somewhat incongruous to the overall sound. The keyboards fair better however and used for effect rather than playing a large part in the songs.

By the time I’m nearing the end I’m left with the impression of a very competent black metal band who have released a good album though lacking a few killer tracks to set it apart from the general masses of other bands following a similar path. However, Nostalgic Idealization leaves a longer lasting impressing with stronger hooks and riffs. Sadly it’s too little too late and final track Dreamworks (excluding Outro) returns to more middling ground.

For a debut album Mighty Cosmic Dances is not bad at all but I was left feeling the band will need to up their game if they wished to join the premiership league of black metal. Although I’ve not heard their second album, Communitas (Deconstructing the Order) in full it appears to show some growth with more experimentation so Oblomov are definitely worth keeping an eye on if they ever get round to releasing a third album.

adg211288 MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Though on the surface it may conjure up the kind of spacey imagery that is associated mostly with certain brands of atmospheric black metal act, which is only further enforced by its title, Mighty Cosmic Dances (2005), the debut full-length album of Czech act Oblomov shows itself to be a very different kind of black metal release. The synths used on the album do sometimes sound spacey, but it's most notable in the short intro and outro tracks than anywhere else, as they are used somewhat sparingly.

While Oblomov are usually described as being somewhere between a melodic black metal and melodic death metal band, I find them to be much more the former than the latter. Unlike other black metal artists that invoke a spacey motif, these guys favour a largely direct form of riff-driven song-writing that initially offers up little by way of surprise after the intro track is out of the way. Mentality Failure and Redefinition of the Past are both solid enough melodic black metal songs that are pretty much staples of the genre at its most polished. I find them to be listenable but they don't really provoke any kind of wow factor either.

Then everything changes.

The track goes by the name Lost Between Emotions and with it Oblomov show that they can be so much more as an artist. Folksy, and even a bit experimental sounding with more of a noticeable blend of both black and death metal growls it really sounds as if the band stepped things up more than a single gear. Unfortunately this newly shown adventurous side begins to recede again in the following track Starsend, though the band do throw in a saxophone solo there. But for those few minutes in Lost Between Emotions especially Oblomov proved that they can be something special within the black metal scene. Both Nostalgic Idealization and Dreamworks also show off some more interesting parts, but for the most part Mighty Cosmic Dances comes across as very standard melodic black metal fare.

Mighty Cosmic Dances is a solid debut album overall but also the kind that mostly serves to display the group's future potential rather than realising it straight away. While I'm not blown away by it I'm intrigued enough by the album that I want to hear more from Oblomov.

DippoMagoo MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Outside of its symphonic form, black metal is not a genre I've explored very much at all since I got into metal, but I have found a few gems in the genre over the years. The latest of these is Mighty Cosmic Dances, the debut by Czech Republic's Oblomov. The band has since released one other album, that being Communitas (Deconstructing the Order) in 2009. Both of their albums are lesser known but quite highly regarded by people who have heard them, and so while I didn't really know what to expect from this debut, I figured it would probably be good. What I got was some expertly done melodic black metal fused with melodic death metal, and with the occasional use of some more unique and unexpected elements, making for quite the excellent experience.

At a first glance, Oblomov appear to be playing rather typical melodic black metal, with the first full song “Mentality Failure” starting off with mid tempo riffs and an overall dark tone suitable for the genre, but as the track goes on they speed it up and the riffs start to feel more like melodic death metal. The two styles alternate as the track goes on, and it's this ability to fluidly blend the two sounds together that already helps to make a strong first impression. Then you consider how great everything sounds, from the excellent guitar leads and nice solos, to the rather sporadic but effective use of atmospheric keys, which often have a spacey feel to them, and of course the vocals. 99.9% of all vocals on this album are growls, mostly lower range blackened growls, though there are some occasional higher growls as well, and all the vocals are very powerful and well performed. Harsh vocals tend to be hit or miss for me, but in this case they definitely hit all the time. I also enjoy the occasional use of unexpected instruments, as well as the occasional folk vibe, which is especially noticeable on the second half of “Lost Between Emotions”. One last important element is the production. One reason I don't often listen to a lot of black metal is because many bands in the genre have rather low quality production that makes it hard for me to enjoy the music, but such is not the case with Mighty Cosmic Dances. The guitars are crunchy and powerful, vocals are clear, drums sound great, and all the other instruments they incorporate also sound great and it's all clear and very powerful.

From what I understand, Mighty Cosmic Dances is a concept album dealing with Sci-Fi themes, though admittedly the lyrics can be tough to decipher, so I couldn’t really go into more detail. Everything flows well together, though, and the spacey, sound effect heavy intro and outro tracks sure give the feeling of a concept album. In fact, one cool detail I noticed: If you play the album on repeat, you can notice that the last note of the outro is the exact same as the first note of the intro, which is pretty neat, and the two tracks sound quite similar overall.

As far as songwriting goes, this is a very consistent album, and it's more about the overall feel than it is about individual tracks, though it does have some highlights. I already mentioned the intro and outro, which are both nicely done, as well as the excellent opening track, which speeds up and builds up intensity as it goes along. Perhaps the biggest highlight on the album is “Lost Between Emotions”, which starts out slower paced and atmospheric, before throwing in a few curve balls. The first of these comes in the form of a surprising saxophone solo less than a minute in. I've mentioned before that the saxophone is not one of my favorite instruments (it's my least favorite, in fact), but here it's used effectively and in a rather unique way, to help give the track a bit of a folk feel, and this feeling is only increased later in the track with various other folk sounds, to go along with the excellent guitar work and growls. It's quite the excellent and unique track overall.

There's another use of saxophone on the much faster paced, more death metal oriented track “Starsend”. Here its use is less unique, but still pretty cool. Another favorite track is “Nostalgic Idolization” another mostly fast paced track, with has a pretty cool section where the atmospheric keys take over and the vocals get more intense. The last full song on the album “Dreamworks” is great all around, but its highlight comes towards the middle, in the form of a much softer section with some kind of semi-clean vocals, which again sound quite unique and are pretty cool. Perhaps the only track with no huge moments is “Plague”, though it's still a very good track with some pretty awesome vocals, and it's also the track where I have the easiest time making out the lyrics, for some reason.

Overall, Mighty Cosmic Dances is an excellent debut, which fluidly blends together elements of melodic black metal and death metal, while also adding some rather surprising elements to help it stand out. As someone who rarely listens to black metal, I have to say it has left me quite impressed, so I have no doubt fans of the genre would be pleased with it as well. Oblomov made quite the strong first impression with this release and from what I've read Communitas (Deconstructing the Order) seems to be quite the unique and genre bending release as well, so I plan on checking that out in the near future.

aglasshouse MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Before we get this review underway, I'll just let you know that I myself am not a fan of black metal. In fact, I'll even say that I dislike most of the material that comes from it. So as a person who holds a certain distaste for black metal, a positive review of an album from the genre means it is particularly exceptional, so much so that it transcends my prejudices against the genre.

Oblomov's debut is quite the interesting record. It's more of a power-thrash album that features some actually pretty decent black metal vocals (a screech and growl between Pavel Dlabaja and Honza Vanek). Both vocalists/guitarist have prior experience in black metal, with Dlabaja being in Sacrist and Vanek being from Panychida, so don't expect amateur material from these guys. Now the idea of space and the metaphysical isn't new territory for black metal, but Oblomov does well to differentiate themselves with some extremely clever ideas. First off, Mighty Cosmic Dances is more atmospheric than most black metal albums, not to mention that it's combined with it's melodic power metal double guitar riffing. The screech of the black metal vocals coincided with a practical space opera-esque symphony of discord to back it up makes for quite the impressive auditory spectacle. Combine this with both the strange but oddly fitting inclusion of saxophone and didgeridoo in the vocal breaks is quite a touch. A song that really stands out and uses these elements best is on the track 'Starsend'.

I must say Oblomov, you impressed me. This album is truly the greatest black metal record I've ever heard so far, at the very least the best of the 2000's. Even for someone who doesn't like black metal that much this was truly a journey for me from start to finish. My heart truly has grown three sizes.

Unitron MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Over the years, black metal has evolved quite a bit. Going from classics like Bathory and Immortal to all of the popular atmospheric acts of today shows quite a big difference in sound. However, apart from Myrkur, I usually gravitate towards the classic bands and melodic black metal bands due to a love of memorable riffs which these bands have had more of.

The Czech band Oblomov here plays melodic black metal not too dissimilar to a band like Dissection. However, what sets Oblomov apart from other black metal bands is their use of saxophone and didgeridoo. You may think that they are some sort of black metal/jazz fusion kind of band based off of that, but I actually would not call them that. The saxophone doesn't appear in all the songs, and when it does, it isn't at all overbearing and it plays right along with the rest of the instruments. The way it's incorporated, makes it feel right at home with the melodic black metal style.

The band also uses what I assume is some sort of pan-flute and symphonic instrumentation, which again, fit perfectly with the band's sound. The flute gives the music a Renaissance feel, which is something I can say I've never heard in black metal. Yet another element to the music, which I'm sure makes sense due to the name of the album, is a spacey sound. Some of the melodies, as well as some programming, adds a sound that certainly makes one feel like they're flying through space. As far as the riffs go, I must give mention to the killer guitar work and sharp bass licks in "Dreamworks".

Mighty Cosmic Dances does all that the title sets out to do. It's mighty, it sounds cosmic, and...well maybe not so much the dance part. If you like your black metal to be melodic, and are looking for something unique, I'd could only highly recommend this brilliant album. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!

Vim Fuego MMA Reviewer's Challenge: September 2016

Oblomov was an unusual character. Created by Russian author Ivan Goncharov in the 1859 novel of the same name, Oblomov was the quintessential superfluous man and lived a life of decadent, indecisive uselessness. Czech black metal band Oblomov is a lot like their namesake, producing superfluous black metal, but without the literary character’s memorable futility. “Mighty Cosmic Dances” is a different sort of futility, one which is ultimately forgettable.

The big problem with “Mighty Cosmic Dances” is it is too safe, too risk-averse, too middle-of-the-road, and ultimately, is pointless.

“Mighty Cosmic Dances” opens with a cut-price Jean Michel Jarre ambient intro, which really doesn’t seem to gel with the bog standard black metal which follows.

OK, bog standard may seem harsh, but listen closely to what is presented here. There’s the raspy vocals, which don’t descend into over-dramatic operatic screams. There’s distinct riffs, and not just formless buzzing guitars. There’s the obligatory blasts. There’s a bit of bass and at least some effort put into production and engineering values. Unfortunately, it’s all just a bit boring. This is really nothing the likes of Marduk hasn’t done before, except Marduk did it better and earlier.

The only redeeming feature of this album is the solos. Instead of completely eschewing solos, or resorting to breakneck, formless squealing guitar as many black metal bands do, these actually fit to the music and suit the songs. But the songs themselves are a problem. Would Trey Azagthoth be so highly regarded as a guitarist if Morbid Angel’s songs were mediocre? Or Angus Young in AC/DC? Oblomov’s songs are the problem. They are all just too much the same.

The crappy 1970s synths come back to close out the album, and sadly, are a relief from the repetitive tedium.

The final result is something slightly lesser than the sum of its parts. It’s not vicious enough to be truly harrowing, and not melodic enough to drill into your subconscious like an earworm. It’s competent, but not impressive. This is a stock-standard music collection filler.