Album Review: Confined to Oblivion – Resumption (Self Released)

Confined to Oblivion started in Montreal (Canada) in early 2015, drawing its inspiration from Melodic Death Metal and Extreme Metal. After releasing its first EP The Cycle in 2016, the band went back to the studio in 2018 to produce its second EP When did we stop listening?

Between 2016 and 2019, the band toured and played a good amount of shows all around Canada, sharing the stage with bands like Unearth, Darkest Hour, The Agonist and Beyond Creation.

With the arrival of their new singer Jean-Charles Carrere, the band took a darker musical path, creating more complex pieces and introducing black, death and even progressive elements in their composition. Their new album Resumption, out on July 14th 2021 is the result of 2 years of meaningful collaboration, that will be a colossal milestone in the history of the band.

A robust start, In Abeyance and No Place Like Home gets the metal juices flowing as Confined to Oblivion showcase their extreme side with an array of exciting riffs, melodic groove and crushing death metal blasts. A pair of filthy sounding head-bangers that are exciting but certainly stick to type.

Which makes the following A Line Has Been Crossed such a shocker, at least at first. Seriously, it’s like Confined to Oblivion got drunk one night and listened to a ton of folk/pirate metal then wrote this track’s intro. It’s hilarious but awesome, especially as it transforms so naturally into another raging death metal effort. It’s catchier than it has any right to be and is an instant favourite. Even before they drop into melody and throw out a killer guitar solo too. If you only have time for one track to hear what this band has to offer, make it this one.

After such a high point, Silent Witness feels like a comedown even though it’s so frantic and energetic, it’s still a class listen. It’s just a tough act to follow. A breather is needed and Relapse offers it. 83 seconds of mournful and peaceful melody that flows into The Long Death of a Silent Tear. Here, Confined to Oblivion bring the stompy death groove back to the forefront and ask that you simply lose your shit to their noise. An easy request to agree too.

If your death metal appetite hasn’t quite been sated yet then Lost in Lands will go some way to filling you up. Leave some room though as the three Rites of Passage tracks are up next and these are some chokingly tasty mouthfuls. Separation’s riffs alongside the guttural low that is reached here, Transition’s melodic build and methodical metal assault, Reincorporation’s wild energy and mayhem inducing groove… exhausting but brilliant.

No time to rest though, as Confined to Oblivion make sure you will remember their name with one final powerful effort. Runaways Aren’t Always Cowards doesn’t make any changes to the formula at this stage but it’s not needed. Instead, the unit drop one last head-banger that makes you damn grateful this album exists.

Heavy as fuck, catchy when it shouldn’t be, immense instrumentation and tons of energy, this is a very fine melodic death metal release.

Confined to Oblivion – Resumption Full Track Listing:

1. In Abeyance
2. No Place Like Home
3. A Line Has Been Crossed
4. Silent Witness
5. Relapse
6. The Long Death of A Silent Tear
7. Lost in Lands
8. Rites of Passage: Separation
9. Rites of Passage: Transition
10. Rites of Passage: Reincorporation
11. Runaways Aren’t Always Cowards

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