Devoid of all sense, the blind and tumultuous terror of rage incarnates hides within the deepest recesses of the human mind buried behind years of repressed indecision and sorrow it stalks, waiting for any chance to relapse and consume the self; such is the brevity of inner conflict, and never before have I heard such intangible sensations as expertly crafted and compartmentalized as through "The Inhabitable Dark" by OBSCENE. A pithy piece composed of the ever enkindling embrace that is Death Metal, the album shines in creating its own defined sound, something which marks the band as unique.

"Without Honor And Humanity," begins its progression as what could only be the anthem to a viscous riot, the entirety of the band joins in at full blast as the song begins perfectly illustrating the ruthless nature of the music. For reasons I whose meanings continue to escape my comprehension, "Bless The Giver Of Oblivion," commences with Stone Cold Steve Austin's iconic quote: Austin 3:16 - specifically I believe this excerpt is from his victory over Jake "The Snake" at the King Of The Ring in 1996. The song is, in essence, a rampant onslaught of aggression and tension, constantly shifting octaves and slowing for the chorus and breaks coupled with some minor harmonies. "All Innocence Burns Here" has a slow start, almost as if teasing a refrain, before the song's agenda is foreshadowed by the introduction of vocals and some faster guitar work within the right channel; eventually the whole band shifts directions towards the faster variant, before slowing once more for a small break. The title track, "The Inhabitable Dark," is the slowest and most complex song on the album first by opening up with a minor progression of chords, which speed up in time to max the rhythm of the drums-the song changes its courses several times shifting between fast and slow in order to create the idea of tension in the music, before eventually fading out to a macabre and slightly distant piano, the captivation of the listener's attention through the crescendoing rise of increasingly tense music to a soft flourish of a piano outro reminds me of Garry Schyman and Jim Bonney's "Welcome To Columbia."

The overall sound of the band is full and quite well balanced, the guitars are heavy but not oversaturated, the bass not only fills in the lower end but also defines itself from both the kick and the guitars, the drums are exceptionally well mixed though contain an off-hit every now and then, each being too minute to draw attention from the band-if anything it proves the drums were recorded live,-and the vocals cut through the mix with ease. If the band suffers from anything at all it would be not enough diversity and not enough play time as the album comes in at almost an exact 34 minutes in length.

"The Inhabitable Dark" captures an overarching sense of dread and loss which is fully embellished by the music in every grizzly detail, the biting tones of the guitars and wailing knells of the vocals continue to stalk and echo the psyche well after the music has finished, and I wouldn't have it any other way. While the album feels a bit short it serves as a perfect introduction to OBSCENE.