NAILED TO OBSCURITY hailing from Esens, Germany were formed in 2005. The band play a mixture of melodic Death Metal and Doom Metal and release their fifth full-length album. "Generation Of The Void" was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (AMORPHIS; ARCH ENEMY; DESTRUCTION), and co-produced by Jacob Hansen, V. Santura (CELTIC FROST; DARK FORTRESS; TRIPTYKON), and guitarist Jan-Ole Lamberti. It has a length of about 55 minutes and was released via German Metal specialists Nuclear Blast Records. The album has a strong start with devastating guitar riffs at mid-tempo and growling vocals varying around the deeper end of the guttural range. "Glass Bleeding" develops quickly into a verse part with clean vocals and from then onwards, tension is building until it all explodes into powerful guitar riffing accompanied by the growls. The melodies are spine-chilling, and they have some melancholic features. It is a constant back and forth between quiet and crushing parts. Highlight of the track is a very contributing lead guitar solo. "Liquid Mourning" starts with thunderous guitar riffs at a measured tempo, leading into a verse part driven by strong basslines. It is a dark track with grim melodies. The vocals are two-parted: clean vocals during the verse parts and the growls during the choruses with a bit of shifting towards the medium end of the guttural range. The guitar riffing is very powerful during the chorus parts, and they are accompanied by the double-bass drumming.

"Overcast" delivers punishing guitar riffs at a measured tempo with a lot of aggression leading into the verse part. The verse part increases pace with a lot of double-bass drumming, while the bridge goes back to measured tempo with the vocals are the deep-lying growls. The choruses change the character of the track a bit as the melodies are catchy, epic, and melancholic. The break begins quietly with the guitars only and the clean vocals, transitioning into another contributing lead guitar solo. "Overcast" is one of the album highlights, and it was released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. "Spirit Corrosion" starts with an instrumental pre-lude driven by the guitars, leading into a quiet verse part, driven by the guitars and the clean vocals. It is a track at measured tempo with some subtle changes in rhythm. The vocals are two-parted again, with the cleans being most prominent, while the growls take center stage only now and then. The melodies are dark and melancholic. The title track "Generation Of The Void" offers crushing guitar riffs at the beginning transitioning into another quiet verse part with the guitars, strong basslines, and the clean vocals. The melodic framework is grim and once again melancholic. The bridge, the choruses, and especially the break deliver more heaviness with thunderous guitar riffs, while the break includes a short lead guitar solo.

"Echo Attempt" follows the same song structure as many album tracks: powerful guitar riffs at the start, leading into quiet verse parts, dominated by the guitars and clean vocals. The verse parts are typically tension-building until it is released during the choruses. The melodies are once again grim and melancholic. "Echo Attempt" is a multi-layered track with many different parts. For example, the break offers thunderous guitar riffs and the deep growls, introducing the lead guitar solo. It is the longest album track with more than eight minutes playing time. "Allure" is a quiet song with the guitar, the piano, and the clean vocals. The vocals vary around the medium end of the vocal range with some tonal shifts in either direction. The song comes to life after around three minutes with the drums and bass joining in for a short part at measured tempo. "Clouded Frame" continues with the structural concept of the album. The melodies are catchier compared to many other album tracks and the melancholic element is more in the background. The vocals are predominantly clean with a few growls intensifying the heavier parts of the track, in particular during the end of the track. Highlight is another very contributing lead guitar solo. "Misery's Messenger" starts with crunching basslines and the guitars. The verse part is again quiet and accompanied by the clean vocals. It is mainly a quiet track with only a few heavier parts and a crushing part, when the deep-lying growls and thunderous guitar riffs take over. However, it does not last for long and the track circles back for another chorus and a quiet finale. The album ends with

"The Ides Of Life", and after some quiet exchanges at the beginning, the track delivers powerful guitar riffs and the growling vocals for the verse parts. The melodies are chilling and melancholic especially during the choruses. The break starts quietly and is introduced by the guitars, transitioning into an extended final lead guitar solo, accompanied by crunching basslines. The solo lasts until the end of the track and it is clearly another highlight. NAILED TO OBSCURITY deliver darkness and melancholy in their new release. "Generation Of The Void" is an interesting mixture of melodic Death Metal with Doom elements and some Gothic Twists. The album is technically very comprehensive, however, a bit one-dimensional and predictable in terms of song textures. The album is well produced. Fans of melodic Death and Doom Metal will surely dig the new album of NAILED TO OBSCURITY.