Obscura / Asylum / Birmingham
The Asylum…. Again…. Twice in a week ? Go on then, why not. I love the place to be fair, a great old school grass roots venue that puts on some amazing shows, so whats not to like eh ? And tonight looks like it could be another belter for the Brummy venue as they welcome Obscura on their 2025 “Sonication” tour.
First up though are French band Gorod. Originally called Gorgasm, they changed their name to avoid confusion with an American band, Gorod released their debut album “Neurotripsicks” in 2004. They have released seven albums to date, the latest being 2023’s “The Orb”. Gorod are Mathieu Pascal (guitar), Benoit Claus (bass), Julien "Nutz" Deyres (vocals), Nicolas Alberny (guitar) and Karol Diers (drums).
And what a great start to the evening they gave us. Some harsh heavy beats and riffs, with fast and furious bass tones ripping through the speakers, the perfect backdrop to Julien’s course and often brutal vocals.
The crowd were on this train, right from the off, moshing away at the barrier loving every minute. The band were at ease and loving every minute of it, dripping with sweat, clearly putting the work in. Hot and heavy….. just how we like it and a brilliant start.
Next up are US death metal band Skeletal Remains who formed in 2011. Made up of Mike De La O (guitars), Chris Monroy (guitars/vocals), Pierce Williams (drums), and newcomer Brian Rush (bass) they recently released the brutal new album “Fragments of the Ageless” a follow up to 2020’s much hailed “The Entombment of Chaos”.
In contrast to Gorod, their sound is much darker… brutal even, with themes of violence, death and chaos. It has an aggressive edge to it, demonstrated in the brutally fast and guitar style, finger bleeding shredding of the first order. But don’t let that put you off, they are incredibly skillful musicians, delivering an ear crushing set of some of the best death metal you could want.
Aggressive and intense from first note to last reverb filled feedback drone - Thoroughly entertaining.
Finally it’s time for tonight’s headliners Obscura. A German technical death metal band from Landshut, founded by guitarist and vocalist Steffen Kummerer in 2002. The band has released seven studio albums, their debut “Retribution” came out in 2006 and their most recent release “A Sonication” came out earlier in 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Obscura are Steffen Kummerer (vocals & guitar), Kevin Olasz (guitar), Robin Zielhorst (bass) and James Stewart (drums).
The Asylum was pretty packed now which is good to see. Obscura hit the first notes and the crowd lapped it up. They sounded impeccable tonight. Kudos to the Asylum’s crew, the sound system was on form and each individual element of Obscura’s sound was identifiable, crisp and clear. Incredible musicians, they work between heavy black metal, and more progressive material with ease. The set seems to flow, from one track to the next, bridging the different styles with ease. It’s great to hear the bass, so key to their sound, elevated so well in the mix, allowing you to enjoy every tone and nuance, particularly in the more elaborate and progressive material, during the sections where the riffs drop in intensity and allow us to enjoy the magical melody elements.
But mixed with this progressive element, Obscura can drop the death metal brutality with ease, and the moshers jumped at the chance to engage with this crushing assault. Obscura’s riffs are massive and intense, and yet can be delicate and detailed.
From start to finish Obscura are slick and tight with all elements, guitars, bass and drums all playing off each other as if it’s second nature to them. Obscura leave the stage to great cheers.
Obscura delivered a stand out performance, and it felt like, there’s plenty more to come !
