OBSEQUIAE
The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings (Baby Blue/Olive Green Merge)

Storming out of the frozen North, Minnesota’s Obsequiae released their debut album Suspended in the Brume of Eos on CD in 2011 via Bindrune Recordings. Obsequiae crafts meticulous, beautifully harmonic odes to times now passed into legend, conjuring images of a medieval Europe upon which modern life has yet to infringe. The album harkens back to the pre-wimp-out melodic Scandinavian death metal of the mid 1990s; dark, aggressive, conscious of songcraft foremost and unintimidated by complexity. The band’s deep knowledge of European traditional music and instrumentation is evident throughout, particularly in the ornate, colorful interludes that tie the album together like tapestries in a ruined castle. Had John Renbourn started a project with Quorthon, something like Obsequiae might be the result. As the album remains a favorite at 20 Buck Spin HQ and had yet to surface on vinyl, the label offered to release this one-of-a-kind work on the greatest audio format for the first time. Repackaged with new artwork, the LP reintroduces Obsequiae in advance of the band’s much-anticipated second album, which will surface on 20 Buck Spin later in 2014. Live performances are planned for later in the year.