Compilations have many (and different) reasons for their release. The two must common reasons: to remember a band that is already out of activity, or to celebrate a special occasion. Obviously such ways fail to describe all the reasons behind a compilation release, because some musicians and bands have their own personal ideas, as in the case of the Romanian one man band ANTUMBRA with “Oblivion”. On Marius' words, ‘this material conveys the idea of the irreversible passage of time, memories, death and life, all wrapped in a dark and atmospheric essence. This compilation implies a journey through the depths of existence, exploring the transient nature of life and the haunting echoes of the past. It captures the essence of Black Metal while evoking a sense of mystery and introspection.’

So one have in hands a compilation of songs, but one of them is a new one, depicting a form of Atmospheric Black Metal with some resemblances with the Second Wave of the genre that happened on the first half of the 90s, with keyboards creating morbid ambiences with guitars weaving funereal arrangements and deeper melodies (as on the clean moments on the beginning of “Malevolent”). And besides such format isn’t new, it’s very good to hear a new band playing is such way, with honesty, weight and energy flowing from the album’s songs. It seems to be obvious that Marius produced, mixed and mastered the songs (in reality, these songs are fully remixed and remastered), and if it’s not the case, I’m truly sorry for the wrong idea. Back to the sonority: the full remixing and remastering gave the compilation an aura of completeness, with things fitting on each other. On the other hand, the entire work was done to create a sonority that has an Old School appeal, but taking advantage of modern technologies.

As mentioned above, all the songs of “Oblivion” are remixed and remastered (focusing on songs of the band’s late albums, namely “Shards of Existence” and “Ashen”, and the Single “Malevolent”), with a new track (it seems to be “Forevermore”). All of them are very good, but for a mere reference for the lazy ones, “Where the Rivers Meet the Sea” (excellent sad melodies created by keyboards with harsh guitar riffs), “Alone” (the personal form of the shrieks of the vocals is impressive, contrasting with the melancholic ambience of the song), “The Void of Blackness” and “Frozen” (these ones bear a bleak and deep set of melodies, with thunderous rhythms of bass guitar and drums), “Forevermore” (that seems to link the past and future of the band’s musical work, with some brutal insights with melancholic melodies), and “The Graveyard of Thoughts” will give an initial taste of what the band is up to.

Although ANTUMBRA is a young band, “Oblivion” shows that much more can be expected of Marius’ musical efforts in the future.