Single Slam – Damaged Goods by Drop Oblivion (Narcissistic Councilor)

Drop Oblivion have released an updated version of their song, Damaged Goods. Damaged Goods will feature on their upcoming album called Narcissistic Councilor. Narcissistic Councilor will be out at the end of this year/early next year via Timeless Studios.

We originally listened to Damaged Goods back in December 2017. You can read our thoughts on that here. I really liked it then so it’s exciting to here this new version. I am also a little apprehensive as well. There wasn’t much that required changing on the first in my opinion. Let’s hope the changes don’t take anything away from an already very good song. We have also reviewed another single from the new album, Narcissistic Councilor. That track is called Detached. You can read our thoughts on it here. Before we get stuck into Damaged Goods though, a little bit about Drop Oblivion.

Drop Oblivion is the brain child of UK based solo composer Ian Mortimer. Ian got into the local Metal scene in 2006. He performed with various bands over the years before starting an outlet in 2014 for his own heavy creations. That outlet is Drop Oblivion. Originally conceived as a “just for fun” project, Ian began working with other musicians on some initial demo tracks. They created an entire album of material over the course of a few days. Ian progressed and focused on performing with his other ambient project “Skin For A Canvas”.

So, 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. The first single taster track for the new album was released in December 2017 titled “Damaged Goods”. It is a powerful crushing combination of brutal guitars and demonic vocals, creating a big metal sound with symphonic undertones.

So, the new version of this song, Damaged Goods, brings a lot of change. The vocals have been redone. The guitars have been redone. Even the drums have been changed up slightly. On top of that, the track has had a new mix and master too. Damaged Goods is just over 4 minutes long and I am pleased that despite all of the changes, the core essence of the track is still there. A nice thrashy guitar intro sees the drums kick in with a strong amount of depth to them. Right from the off you can hear the changed elements. The whole song has a bit more clarity to it with the guitars ringing a bit clearer and the drums having a bit more meat on them. The vocals still pack a punch, no more or less than previously but they join really well with the new instrument mix.

Some of the new drum patterns really stand out, filling sections missing from before. The vocal delivery seems a bit more consistent too. Importantly though, none of the power and force has been lost. You still find yourself sucked in by the demonic vocal style and crunching riff, finding your head banging and your hand’s playing air drums without really realising it.

I was/am a big fan of the original mix and think they have done a great job of improving the song in ways I didn’t think it needed improving. It definitely has a little more polish now, losing that rawness of the original though not so much to detract from the song’s essence. The new guitar sound and added drum fills have lifted the song unimaginably and the vocals and vocal delivery is masterful. Damaged Goods was a great song and is still a great song. It just sounds a little more joined up and modern now. Great job!

Do your bit to support the genre you love by heading over to Drop Oblivion’s Bandcamp page and picking up Damaged Goods for the bargain price of £2, here. You can stream the track over at Spotify by following the link. Keep an eye on Drop Oblivion’s Facebook and Twitter pages for more information on new music and when you can grab the album.