Review: Obšar – V Rabstvi Merzotnyka (EP)

Review by Jeger

Obšar – V Rabstvi Merzotnyka (EP)

Record Label: Kvlt und Kaos Productions

Year: 2025

Rating: 5/10

Slovakia’s Obšar – an enigma of a Black Metal band. What began as a Melodic/Folk Black Metal project has changed, not evolved, but has radically shifted styles since the release of its 2024 LP, “Propastnyk”, which saw the band in fit form: majestic, melodious and atmospheric was their sound; the kind of BM you could listen to all day and feel content. Smooth like silk, delicate even and with just enough power in places that call for it. Why mess with it, right?

Techno is very popular in Slovakia… The country is home to many prominent DJs and their Club scene is a vibrant one. Where am I going with this? Just relax a minute, and you’ll see. Black Metal is nothing if not versatile. You can incorporate just about any kind of influence into it (doesn’t necessarily mean that you should), from Folk to Symphony and even Tribal. You could even get all Space Age with it, a la Labyrinthus Stellarum. In other words, there is a lot of very creative but also very shitty Black Metal out there… Should you be able to dance to Black Metal? Jeez, man. Anyway, Obšar has something pretty unique in store for us with their brand new EP, “V Rabstvi Merzotnyka”, which was released in June via Kvlt and Kaos Productions.

Obšar

With “V Rabstvi Merzotnyka”, Obšar basically puts a techno spin on traditional Folk/Atmospheric BM. Crystalline and electric is the atmosphere and Folkish are the rhythms. The opening track, “Sucha Rokyta”, is a techno travesty… Barely audible are the guitars and the drum programming sounds like something out of 1985. Like, if Lord of the Lost decided to put out a Black Metal album is what we’ve got here. Got any Molly? The following track, “Sľipa Vira”, doesn’t stray far from the established sound. I can hear fingers sliding across guitar strings, but I can’t really hear the guitars again. I don’t know what this is… I’m old-school and of the mind that Black Metal should at least sound like Black Metal. Aside from the vocals and some of the atmospheric parts, this just sounds like the soundtrack to a bad acid trip. When you compare this EP to the band’s previous LP, shit just doesn’t add up. Why such a dramatic shift in creative direction? Did Paul Oakenfold kidnap this band?

Look, I’m not in the business of trashing any artist’s work. I’m not trashing this album either. I’m just trying to wrap my head around why. “Propastnyk” is a great record. Why would you completely abandon it stylistically for this? “V Rabstvi Merzotnyka” just makes no sense, not as a supposed Black Metal album. I’m not even sure how to categorize it. I will say that there are far more people within the world of Black Metal who would agree that this is something that shouldn’t happen – an abomination. True Black Metal! Get back into making it… Because this isn’t good for the genre. We’re trying to conserve Black Metal, to protect it from becoming what this is.

Epic fail… Sorry, guys, but I simply can’t get behind this EP in any way whatsoever. Back to the drawing board. If the genre is to evolve, it should do so with class. Let us never forget why Black Metal came to be, let us always respect what Black Metal is and may its purity run heavy into the future.