Obszön Geschöpf - Highway Of Horrors

Here is my review of the latest Obszön Geschöpf's offering, 'Highway Of Horrors'. This is Obszön Geschöpf's seventh release, including six albums and a demo. If you lived in a cave for the last 13 years and are not familiar with Obszön Geschöpf's other albums, do yourself a favor and check that shit out!

If you followed Remzi Kelleci?s (Obszön Geschöpf's mastermind) progression as a musician, you already know he is not the type of guy to make the same album twice. His demo tape features heavy guitars than were put on hold for the first couple of albums. 'Yell Of Fright' (2003) and 'Son Of Evil' (2004) were more of a Dark Electro/Industrial type. The third release, 'Tomb Of The Dead' (2005) although more dancefloor-friendly, still kept the dark flavor of the music and even turned it up a notch. Then he integrated guitars and the project evolved into a more guitar oriented kind of Industrial? 'Erection Body Mutilated' (2009) was kind of somewhere between Electro Industrial and Industrial Metal. We could say EBM was the bridge between what Obszön Geschöpf was then and what it is today. 'Symphony Of Decay' (2010) is probably the most brutal and intense album Obszön Geschöpf has made. With that release, Obszön Geschöpf established itself as one of the best Industrial Metal project, not only in France, but worldwide. Produced by Andy Classen (Tankard, Asphyx, Sinister), that record is a masterpiece of Industrial Metal.

I just listened to 'Highway Of Horrors' and it didn't disappoint. Mr Kelleci never stops to amaze me, always blending new flavors to his already pretty tasty productions. This time he even added insult to injury by adding elements of Grunge, Old School Hip Hop and Rap Metal into the mix? and the motherfucker pulled it off! It works!

The man is a huge horror movie fan, especially from the 70's and 80's. He samples those movies like there is no tomorrow but his use of these samples never seems forced or out of place. He has become a master at doing this. He manages to create dark ambiances with them, always adding something more to the already twisted and dark music he produces. 'Highway...' is no exception. I'd even say he took it to the next level.

Several big names from France's scene participated on the album, members of Dagoba, Blazing War Machine, Treponem Pal, Mercyless, L'Esprit Du Clan, Ultra Vomit, Carnival In Coal etc. Obszön Geschöpf did not stop there, he even asked James Murphy (Obituary, Testament, Disincarnate, Death), a musical genius well known in the Metal scene, to master his new album. He surrounded himself with the right people for what he wanted to do.

The album starts on a really good note. "Human Beast" is absolutely great, one of the best, if not the best, track on the album. Think early Obszön Geschöpf meets KMFDM ( the title track, "Highway Of Horrors" also has that dynamic). The guitar riffs are infectious. Great use of the samples from the horror movie RUBY. That track sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album.

In "Two Headlights Appear On The Road To The Carnival", The movie samples are used with great efficiency and blend really well with the track. Good mix of industrial and metal, good riffs on that one too, the drum track is pretty impressive and gives a nice flavor.

"How I Eat Your Mother" sounds more horror industrial/horror EBM. Add to that slow and heavy riffs, not too much in your face, good dosage. Then comes "Slasher's Night" that starts with an old school Hip Hop beat which can be a bit destabilizing at first, I like how chances are taken and various influences are used, good track! A breath of fresh air. "Bloody Black Skin" and "Sleazy Man" also have that old school Hip Hop beat and feel. Both incorporate nice double bass drums patterns, especially "Sleazy Man" which also feature some pretty good riffs, groovy at times.

"Insane Impulse" starts pretty intensely with a Swedish Death Metal influenced riff, more particularly Entombed, This is one of the most brutal song on the album. There is a riff in there that gave me goosebumps, similar to these Deftones melancholic riffs. Good stuff! Nice vocals too, a little different than usual, a bit less distorted? "Curse With A Teenager Slut", the eleventh track, is almost pure Death'N'Roll?again, influences of Entombed for sure.

"Easy Ride Corpse", the ninth track starts with one of the heaviest guitar riffs on the album. The minimal use of electronic sounds and the pinch harmonics are just enough to add that little extra touch to the song, because you know, sometimes less is more. Pretty effective.

"Dead And Buried", the tenth track is just a solid tune all around. Nothing really stands out but it is still a very good song. Not a filler by any means, just solid, nothing wrong with that. Now, the last (but not the least) track of the album. A cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller". Well, that's a fucking insane cover. Mr Kelleci delivers big time on that one. That is the kind of cover you want to hear! It has its own personality without taking anything away from the original track. Great piece of work, kudos!

Very nice artwork too by Mottla Art, who also did the 'Symphony Of Decay' album art. This is a "must have" for any serious fan of the Industrial Metal genre. Contact Obszön Geschöpf on Facebook to get a copy of this release or his other offerings! Jun 09 2013