After Oblivion “The Carnal Form” CD

I don't know very much about After Oblivion, but the technical death metal outfit is rather uniquely located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I believe this four-song demo is their debut release. Aside from the fact that I've been able to determine that they've been around since at least 2005, that's about all I can reveal about their background information. Admittedly influenced by the almighty likes of Death, Cynic, and Gorguts, it's the Death influence that comes across most blatantly to these ears, with quite a number of riffs and song structures—and even some of the bass work (though it's mixed far less prominently here)—borrowing liberally from the vibe of the "Individual Thought Patterns" era. It's not exactly what I would consider a rip-off or anything like that, though, since the lead playing has more of a hurriedly fluid (if that makes sense) and openly melodic kind of thing going on and the vocals are going for an even harsher high-end strain than Schuldiner's niche, while the rhythms are more stripped down and one-dimensional than the variety that Death was always exploring in their heyday. The vocals took me some getting used to at first, but by the time the third song came around I had grown quite accustomed to the delivery. I'd definitely still encourage the band to push themselves to explore a slightly wider range of influences, however, because they're clearly competent musicians that are highly capable of delivering some great technical, melodic death metal. The performances are tight, the recording's perfectly suitable for a demo release (if not something more), the artwork is well executed, etc. I think the fact that all of these songs are about three to three-and-a-half minutes pays off big time for the band, because it keeps the energy moving and prevents boredom, but a full-length might need a hint more color and excitement to carry 45 minutes or so, you know? It's obvious that they have the tools to make it happen, though, and if they can pull it off I'd say they'd make a great fit on the Willowtip roster or what have you.

After Oblivion "The Carnal Form"

I believe physical copies of the demo are only available as some kind of double CD-R split with Brazilian death metal band No Blest, but I think the cost is fairly inexpensive, so get in touch with the band if you're interested in a copy.