Australian progressive death metal masters Ne Obliviscaris finally make their triumphant return to Manchester after five years away with Andorran proggers Persefone and Asymmetric Universe.
Italian instrumentalists Asymmetric Universe were first and they were admittedly a bit awkward at the start but they still performed extremely well. In a room full of guitar nerds and other instrumentalists, it was clear very quickly that Asymmetric Universe was in the upper echelon.
Without a set list, it was impossible to know what they were playing and given how well they worked together, it’s plausible that everything was improvised. Every member had a moment to shine, and once they’d settled into the show they were really charming. Needless to say, it was easy to get lost and overwhelmed but the music shifted and changed enough to be fairly engaging throughout but it comes with the caveat that if Prog isn’t your scene, then this entire show isn’t for you. For everyone else, it’s a great start.
Persefone was next and they had a much more song-focused set although there was still some insane technical proficiency on display. They opened with the massive-sounding ‘Flying Sea Dragons’ and ‘Mind as a Universe’, both of which set the already high bar for musical skill to an even further height. The sweep-picking segments were massive and the harmonised guitar work was beyond impressive but it still never seemed self-indulgent or over the top. Everything served the song perfectly.
Persefone had a rather interesting stage presence accentuated by an aggressive light show. Frontman Marc Martins Pia delivered a ground-shattering vocal performance throughout and his syncopated flailing during instrumental sections made it feel like he was still contributing during the sections he wasn’t singing, which is a trap most prog metal vocalists fall into.
‘Living Waves’ was an easy highlight of the set, featuring a recording of Paul Masvidal of Cynic doing his iconic brooding vocoder section with this tremendous sense of grandeur. Despite having some immensely aggressive instrumentation, it was bizarrely serene and beautiful, like being lost in an unforgiving ocean.
The guitarist on stage right hit his guitar against a hanging speaker causing some damage, it was too late before I’d noticed but the band handled it like professionals before launching into the final song – ‘The Majestic of Gaia’ which was a huge and glorious conclusion to a majestic set of technical mastery and total control over the audience.
Ne Obliviscaris finally took the stage as they opened with the shortest song of the set ‘Intra Venus’, an 8-minute-long odyssey that made use of all of that time. There were winding instrumental passages that showcased everyone as a good-tier musician, from the melodic bass introduction from Martino Garattoni to the soaring vocals and violin work of Tim Charles.
Xenoyr was absent from this tour but Black Crown Initiate vocalist James Dorton stepped in to perform harsh vocals and he was amazing. James learned the entire set just days before the tour was set to start and his performance was flawless, the sign of a consummate professional and an excellent musician.
Despite only playing nine songs, Ne Obliviscaris still played for around one hundred minutes and if that sounds exhausting then you’re going to have an extraordinarily tough time at their live show. Even as a musician with a love for extreme technical death metal and complex musicianship, it was a lot to take in. It very much came from the Yngwie Malmsteen school of thought: “how can less be more? More is more”
Both parts of ‘Misericorde’ took up seventeen minutes of the set and it was still impressive, at a certain point you become accustomed to it and it becomes strangely formulaic. The next part is a violin solo, here’s a guitar solo and now an extended outro but first there’s the big chords. All of that is perfectly executed but it starts to drag, there’s a reason most bands only do hour-long sets.
For the price of a very cheap ticket, you get a lot of bang for your buck but there’s every chance you’ll have had enough by the end which I suppose is a good problem to have considering some bands will leave you unsatisfied. Ne Obliviscaris are an acquired taste in the first place so do your research beforehand, particularly on the new album Exul which made up the majority of the setlist.
Overall, Ne Obliviscaris do everything perfectly but they do have a tendency to drag on even if you’re a massive fan of technical wizardry, the cost of a ticket was so small that it was worth going just to engage with live music and help a band that is trying to stay afloat in an age that is difficult to navigate.
