EP Review: Обрій (Obrij) – Олтар Утопії (Altar of Utopia) (Self Released)

Hailing from Ukraine, Обрій (Obrij) released their debut EP, Олтар Утопії (Altar of Utopia) at the end of 2016. Four tracks of European inspired death metal.

There are few surprises here for those well versed in the sounds of death metal. Obrij play heavy metal music & play it damn well. Весь світ перед нами has a lean & hungry sound thanks in part to the raw edge of the vocals & chugging riffs.

Поля Камбоджі goes for a more ‘in your face’ approach with blasting drum beats & faster rhythm before Доторкнутися до зірок swings the first real punch. Up to this point Obrij has been threatening to really open up a can of ‘whoop-ass’ but it’s here that they really deliver it. The bone-crunching heaviness, the finger-shredding guitar solos & the dark undercurrent of groove layered throughout. It all combines to make up the most impressive song on the EP.

The solid, if uninspiring EP finishes up with Відголоски Великої битви. More of what came before, as if that could be a negative. The problem lies in that while Олтар Утопії (Altar of Utopia) is a good death metal record, it’s just another player in a genre that has seen a real boom in the underground. You’ve got to do much more to standout so here’s hoping that Obrij can build on what they’ve done here to truly make something unbeatable.

Обрій (Obrij) – Олтар Утопії (Altar of Utopia) Full Track Listing:

1. Весь світ перед нами
2. Поля Камбоджі
3. Доторкнутися до зірок
4. Відголоски Великої битви

You can pick up the EP now over on Bandcamp & find out more about the band on Facebook.