Single Slam – Detached by Drop Oblivion (Timeless Studios)

It seems like a long time ago I wrote about Drop Oblivion but we are back again, this time with a brand new single called Detached. Drop Oblivion will feature on the album, called Narcissistic Councilor which will hopefully be released in late 2018 or early 2019 via Timeless Studios.

Drop Oblivion is the brain child of UK based solo composer Ian Mortimer. After getting into the local Metal scene in 2006 performing with various bands over the years, he started an outlet in 2014 for his own heavy creations with Drop Oblivion. Originally conceived as a “just for fun” project, Ian began working with other musicians on some initial demo tracks, and created an entire album of material over the course of a few days. As Ian progressed and focused on performing with his other ambient project “Skin For A Canvas”, Drop Oblivion took a back seat for a few years until 2017 when new demos were taken into full production at his home studio in England.

We took a look to the originally released single, Damaged Goods, around a year ago now. You can read our thoughts on that one here. There is a remastered, revamped version of Damaged Goods out now too and we will be reviewing that shortly. Keep your eyes peeled for that. I really liked Damaged Goods original release. I can’t wait to check out the new version, and Detached.

Detached features a special guest in Brett Daniels who adds a little extra power in the lyric writing and delivery. Some of the drum ideas came with help from Jimi Bowbrick. Detached was mixed and mastered by Ignaz Engelmann at Evenwaves in Germany. The excellent artwork is from Barnaby Oakley at Crossfade Productions.  Everything else is Ian Mortimer. Guitars, bass, vocals, drums, keys and the desire to make it happen.

Detached is just short of 4 minutes long and hooks you in from the very first note. A nice chugging riff pulls you along before being joined by blackened vocals. It is a really catchy opening but doesn’t stop there. The drums tap out a nice, quick rhythm. Being programmed, they don’t quite have the power and pound you get from the proper instrument. It works well enough though. The vocals start getting a darker backing as the verses progress into the chorus. A little unclean harmonising which sounds fantastic. As we move into the chorus, the lead guitar comes in to play more hammering out a slightly higher toned line sitting over the crunchy main riff.

As the second chorus ends, their is a perfectly executed transition from the hard hitting electric crunch into a gentler, atmospheric melody. This plays out for a short while before a crescendo of metal explodes the song back into life. Another section of the blackened vocals returns with the tapping drums and crushing riff. A sound you just have to bang your head to. Detached then fades out one last time, ending with the clean but broody melody until the close.

Detached is a great song, packed full of power and infectious groove. The guitars sound great and the dual vocals have real menace and emotion in their rough delivery. The drums lack a little bit of meat for me but don’t detract from a very good song. Check it out below – I guarantee your head will be nodding within around 3 seconds. Ian Mortimer is clearly a man oozing with talent. Songs like Detached really make the prospect of an album very exciting.

Do your bit to support the genre you love by heading over to Drop Oblivion’s Bandcamp page and picking up Detached for the bargain price of £1, here. You can stream the track over at Spotify and Soundcloud by following the links. Keep an eye on Drop Oblivion’s Facebook and Twitter pages for more information on new music and when you can grab the album.