Nailed to Obscurity – Generation of the Void Review
By Tyme
As I settle further into my staff position here at AMG headquarters1 I still feel a slight trepidation when grabbing a promo tagged “waived seniority.” With Nailed to Obscurity’s fifth long-player, Generation of the Void, however, such is the case, and for reasons we don’t discuss with fans, it has fallen to me to pick up where our hairy overlord, Steel, left off. His rave review of Nailed’s 2017 album King Delusion took the act from obscurity to notoriety and, in so doing, landed a spot on his top ten that year. While slightly less enamored with 2019’s Black Frost, it’s clear from that reading Steel still harbored quite a bit of love for this German quintet, which not only raises the stakes for Generation of the Void, but for me as well. Curtailing my excitement, I can only hope to do the ape proud by not doing what Chris Farley did to his pet sale in Tommy Boy, the ‘sale’ played here by my review. Will Generation of the Void have you breaking out your Sadboi twin power rings, ready to activate? Shape of a box of tissues? Form of a river of tears? Let’s dig in and find out.
Generation of the Void finds Nailed to Obscurity further down the path of Opethic progressivism they established on Black Frost. Accomplished through a heightened emphasis on post-metal atmospheres, ear-forward synth-work, and Raimund Ennenga’s clean vocals, which vibe muchly with Ghost’s Tobias Forge, and occupy as much or more of the spotlight as his more compelling Mikael Åkerfeldtian growls. Jan-Ole Lamberti’s and Volker Dieken’s guitar work, albeit less deathly doomed, is full of effectively executed melodic solos, post-metallically strummed chords, cleanly picked leads, and Leprous-esque, prog-stuttery riff patterns (“Echo Attempt,” ” The Ides of Life”). Jann Hillrichs’ drumming continues to hold its own, sans overt technicality, by remaining chest-crushingly powerful, and alongside the work of newly added bassist Lutz Neemann, holds down a low end that adds depth to Nailed’s overall lighter, more reserved sound. Miles away from the deathlier King Delusion, the shift in direction Generation of the Void represents will be the fulcrum on which the remainder of Nailed to Obscurity’s career teeters.
While most of the decisions Nailed made didn’t resonate with me on Generation of the Void, the opening triptych of songs sets a very positive tone. A satisfying tug-of-war between heavy and light, “Liquid Mourning”‘s pensive chords and haunting leads marry well with Ennenga’s improved cleans, while the catchy, growled chorus roars over weighty death riffs. This track bookended well by the driving riffs, impassioned leads, and melodic solo of opener “Glass Bleeding” and the heavily melodic, death-doomy delight that is “Overcast,” which throws the longest shadow over the Nailed to Obscurity of olde by exclusively featuring Ennenga’s excellent growls. These three tracks serve as a red herring and a shepherd through Generation of the Void’s gate into realms I have dubbed Nailed to Obscurity lite.
While I appreciate Nailed to Obscurity’s attempt to push their own boundaries, the overly poppy, ‘Woooaaahhh-Ohhhh’ hooks of “Spirit Corrosion”‘s chorus signal a crack in Generation’s engageability, departing from the previously set stage. A tone that continues through the cleanly crooned title track to the overly bloated eight-plus-minute “Echo Attempt,” full of soft synths, Leprous-y riffs, and brief flirtation with growls, then onto Generation’s ballad “Allure,” with its Ghostly cleans, marshmallowy keys and delicately plucked chords. This section of Generation lulled me into a near-sleep state, finding me checking the clock, only to realize I had nearly fifteen of Generation’s fifty-five-minute runtime left to go. Luckily for me, “Clouded Frame” came crashing in to awaken me, the last real bright spot of the album. It’s moody riffs, impassioned cleans, brutally catchy growled choruses, and final, triumphantly roared scream rank as my favorite track.
There will be as many who bemoan Nailed in Obscurity’s newest direction as there will be those who applaud it. For me, mostly dogless in the fight outside of this writing, I can objectively gauge the quality inherent to Generation of the Void, despite my primarily subjective apathy. There are a handful of songs here that I will return to, but there’s more that I won’t worry about listening to again. What Nailed to Obscurity chooses to do on the heels of Generation of the Void will certainly bear hearing, and I’ll be interested enough to keep my ears peeled.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025
#2025 #30 #DeathMetal #GenerationOfTheVoid #GermanMetal #Ghost #Leprous #NailedToObscurity #NuclearBlastRecords #Opeth #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Sep25
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