Obsequiae

The need for fire is rooted deep within us. We long for the warmth it brings to our bodies, the unheralded heights it raises our spirits to, and the captivation it holds in our minds. The need for wild things is intrinsic to our being. Alone watching the fall of the leafe as they dance in a whispering breeze is of value beyond quantification. The tranquility of acquiescence is always carried in our hearts. In the final acceptance of unremitting change, this passing of forms, we are healed and come to grow and change ourselves.

This demo by Obsequiae is a transition in itself. It comes as an evolution of a former troupe under the title of Autumnal Winds. The 3 hymns found here originate from the distant past of this band lost to time, lovingly re-explored and brought into new life in a new context. For myself, the music found here is evocative of all of the aforementioned traits of fire, wildness, and acquiescence.

An almost tangible warmth exudes from these songs. The thick timbre of the guitars creates a sense of dulled brightness, like an oil painting of an autumn sunset over a pastoral landscape, now darkened by years of accumulated wood smoke. When the thicker chords give way to the dancing melodies and rising solos, it is as sudden flashes of bright flame, sharp and ever shifting, and hundreds of sparks rise at once into the air. This is the purely sonic quality of this artwork. It is the shade of oaken walls dimly illuminated by the hearth's fire, the smell of cedar smoke in a lover's hair, and the quiet but endlessly fascinating dance of the flames. This display is framed by the merry and active skins, played like long lost pages from Carmina Burana.

The structure of the music itself is meticulously crafted, while still appearing wildly organic. Each song follows it's own winding path. Ever shifting trails lead through the forest at dusk, subtly transitioning to new expanses before returning to grounds that feel familiar, yet both you and they are changed since you last visited. Riffs, melodies, and harmonies interweave throughout this dreamlike landscape, and even in moments of sorrow they perpetually seem to playfully cast their mysteries of light and shade. Vigorous screams and shouts make their announcements on the wind and solos gloriously ascend beyond the tree line and into the sky.

At the midpoint of the journey through this forest the luminous spell that has been casting suddenly fades away, and the observer is left alone under the canopy with only the songs of birds, lifting our spirits from within ourselves and outwards, beyond. A lone harp gives voice to the strange sense of wonder that the air itself is electrified with. That we could have a part within such a beautiful whole gives us pause, and the activity of our minds slowly channels into this place, revealing patterns in the fabric of life we had never before been aware of. Suddenly, with the single resound of a drum, a grand realization falls over us and we slip into a trance of ecstasy:

Venerari Sacra Mysteria

It feels as if a great burden has been lifted for the final 1/3 of this short but rich work. 'Funeral Oath' conjures feelings of both triumph and wonder. The riffs surge with life unable to be contained, the solos burn with strength and purpose. If you could translate the feeling of seeing sun rays bursting through a hole in the clouds during a torrential rainstorm into sounds, this song would come very close to it. As all else fades away, the drums march onward with boundless intention. The leaves have been shed, but never truly lost, as they nourish the dark soil beneath us.