Album Review: Obsolete – Animate//Isolate (Unspeakable Axe Records)

With Animate//Isolate, Obsolete have put together one hell of a first salvo. Nine tracks deep and bristling with ideas and hyperactive energy, this is a death/thrash album that any fan of either genre should hear. Coming on CD and cassette from Unspeakable Axe Records on April 19th, 2021.

Wielding weapons of steel, the blades sharpened to a deadly point, Obsolete come racing out like raving lunatics. Spitting fire and brimstone with the devastating assault of riffs, hooks, drums and vocals. The technical speed of the guitars fighting with the thicker death percussion and vocal sound is unusual but interesting.

That battle continues into The Atrophy of Will and the Slough. The former, short and punchy but in a whirlwind kind of way. The latter, more journey like, as the guitars twist and turn in constantly complex fashion.

A ton more thrash to their sound makes Old Horizon and Silent Freeway a pair of headbangers. Whereas Stumbling and Listless is all about its chunky energy and The Fog has the guitars screaming like banshees coming over the hill. Although, the bass thrums are also well worth noticing here too.

Bringing the album to a violent and furious end is the paring of Callousness of Soul and Intercostal. Once again, the guitars are on another level in regards to complexity and while you wouldn’t call this a tech-death listen overall, it’s not far off it. The big difference maker being the strong thrashy edge that is present all over.

Obsolete – Animate//Isolate Full Track Listing:

1. Still
2. The Atrophy of Will
3. The Slough
4. Old Horizon
5. Silent Freeway
6. Stumbling and Listless
7. The Fog
8. Callousness of Soul
9. Intercostal

Links

Unspeakable Axe Records