Review: Obsidian Chamber ”Ein Platz am Kamin” [Running Wild Productions]

Exceeding All Expectations…

You know that satisfying feeling when a band you’ve already felt some connection with does exactly what’s needed to not only revise their formula and correct mistakes of the past but actually improve in so many ways that the previously dormant potential literally explodes upon your ears? That’s exactly what’s happening with Obsidian Chamber in 2024, dear ladies and gentlemen.

While their previous EP Holzphäller was certainly no slouch, it contained a share of hiccups that prevented it from reaching the topmost echelons of 2023’s Austrian metal releases. Some songwriting issues and an uncanny resemblance to Rammstein in terms of vocal delivery and stock grooves (simmering alongside the thoroughly capable and fierce extreme metal provided) that partly hurt that CD have been thrown out the window and effectively replaced by delicate and shreddy lead harmonies among a hefty increase of black, death and even faint gothic metal infusions found in the rhythm guitar department. Pompous but well-written orchestral elements and the recently introduced singer Michael Kaiser, who proves to be a master of many a craft, with his qualities most impressively displayed in the recurring emergence of classical music within this opus, elevate the album to new spheres of both professionalism and even genre-crossing artistic merit.

Indeed, Ein Platz am Kamin fires on all cylinders with barely any missteps. Be it the neck-fracturing heaviness of “Die Grube” that should be a crowd favorite in a live setting or the moving piano/classic metal mix affair of “Zausel” with Michael showing the confident prowess of a seasoned musical actor – you’re in for a treat. Even Middle Eastern flavors work within the context of the symphonic-laden melodic black/death glory of “Der Beste Kebap der Stadt” and never feel tacked-on, just executed flawlessly while further expanding the multicolored facets of this record.

I also have to beg thee to take a closer look at these lyrics if you are in any way capable of understanding the German language because most of these words are (well-)written in a quaint poetic way, a style barely utilized in this day and age. Clearly, this has been a labor of love and should be noted & praised as such.

The last trio of songs are rightfully considered bonus tracks due to them not quite fitting into the flow of the album. The quality standard remains pretty high though, so these aren’t throwaway material either – they mostly represent the more straightforward and extreme edge of the band with former singer Markus Schlögl also returning for one more round of Lindemann-isms that serves as another reminder of why I prefer Michael in this band by a fair margin.

Overall it’s pretty difficult to shoehorn this CD into stiff genre boxes, but if you need some anchors to cling onto, Obsidian Chamber sits somewhere between a less extreme, more structured version of Fleshgod Apocalypse and the classical leanings (+ even some riffing) of earlier Limbonic Art with hints of age-old heavy metal. Add a touch of Austrian Kammermusik flamboyance – indecently felt in the piano/string sections – to the dish and you might get an idea of what all of this sounds like.

Well, I guess it makes a lot of sense to just buy this album and experience this unusual effort yourself. There’s hardly a reason not to, since Ein Platz am Kamin is an engrossing opus that ticks many boxes for those even remotely interested in metal off the beaten tracks and for fans who don’t shy away from significant orchestral components served with their riffs.

I can certainly see these guys making waves outside their local scene very soon.

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