Album Review: Obon

Obon is the debut album from alternative metal band Secrets of the Sun, a quartet based in Wellington. It has been a while in the making, in that the first single, Suffer With The Moon, was actually released a year ago while Wretched Tracks came out in February: both are included here. Although they are obviously a metal act, it is hard to further define their sound as while there are large elements of doom, there is also sludge, alternative, grunge, indie and a lot more going on in here. They build on the atmosphere, creating a soundscape of music with singer/guitarist Mina Perniskie at the heart, who has an unusual style. It is not an unusual within a song for her to use a limited selection of notes, keeping her vocals closely linked to the riffs, which means that everything hits the listener like a wall of sound with all layers mixed closely together. Due to this the instrument which often stands out are the drums of Joseph James, but even here the snare does not have the cut through one might expect.

All this is one of the reasons that Letter Home stands out so much, as it is quite at odds with the rest of the album around it. Here the guitars are picked, there is some space and lightness within it while we even get some harmony vocals. But for the most part Aimee Eastwood (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Sarah Lyne (bass) keep it very heavy indeed, with a solid amount of distortion, throwing up a wall of sound. It is where they mix it up more that they are most effective, and towards the end of Wretched Tracks it changes to become something softer and more delicate, and the use of dynamics here is powerful indeed. This does not sound like a modern release but has roots not only to the Nineties’ grunge and indie metal scene, but all the way back to the Seventies. It is dark, oppressive, thought-provoking, yet there is always the impression that in the live environment they take it even further. One issue with the album is that there does need to be more dynamics, more contrast, so that the light emphasises the heavy and turns it into something even more monstrous, But when/if Auckland are out of lockdown I look forward to these guys coming up here to play at Dead Witch, as I can see that being a great night indeed.