A Year With No Summer
Studio album by
Obsidian Kingdom
ReleasedMarch 11, 2016
RecordedSeptember 2015 at
Orgone Studios, London
GenreProgressive metal, post-metal, post-rock
Length43:12
LabelSeason of Mist
ProducerJaime Gomez Arellano
Obsidian Kingdom chronology
Mantiis
(2012)		 A Year With No Summer
(2016)		 Meat Machine
(2020)

A Year With No Summer is the second studio album by Barcelona-based band Obsidian Kingdom. It is a concept album featuring seven songs that draw from a diverse range of styles including alternative rock, drone, black metal, progressive rock, post-metal and electronica.[1][2][3] The album was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced in September 2015 by Jaime Gómez Arellano at Orgone Studios in London, and co-produced by Jorge Mur and the band itself.[4]

The album was released by Season of Mist on March 11, 2016, with artwork designed by Ritxi Ostáriz[5] and Elena Gallen.[6] A different cover was created for each of the different physical formats, all of them presenting a different glitch variation on an original picture by French photographer Mathieu Bernard-Reymond.[4] The release received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its complexity and gloomy sound.[2][7]

A Year With No Summer features the collaboration of Ulver's singer Kristoffer Rygg in the song "10th April" and Mayhem's Attila Csihar in "The Kandinsky Group".[8] The digipak and jewelcase editions feature a hidden track that consist of a stripped-down bossanova rendition of the track "Darkness" by Jr Morgue.[4]

Style

A Year With No Summer is noted for featuring a much different sound approach than the band's debut Mantiis (especially in the vocal field, with a register often compared to that of Genesis' Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins),[8][9] however retaining its variety and difficult classification.[10] The critics also pointed out the decrement of extreme metal resources such as blast beats and death growls in favor of a more accessible sound.[1]

In respect of the wide range of styles and genres displayed in the album, Loudwire wrote that "A Year Without Summer will appeal to fans of My Bloody Valentine, Pharmakon and Cult of Luna. Not any of them — all three."[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Angry Metal Guy[12]
Heavy Blog is Heavy[13]
Metal Hammer[14]
Terrorizer[15]

A Year With No Summer was met with positive reviews that highlighted its general aura of disenchantment and resignation,[16][7] its thematic depth,[17][18] and the bold shift in style from the band's debut,[9][19] while a few critics found this turn to feel bland and disappointing.[20][21] Regarding Obsidian Kingdom's sophomore's apparent softening, PROG stated that "Boiled down to easy-to-swallow essentials, there’s a mainstream and very marketable album in here just bursting to get out."[22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Obsidian Kingdom

No.TitleLength
1."A Year With No Summer"6:25
2."10th April"4:48
3."Darkness"7:08
4."The Kandinsky Group"10:31
5."The Polyarnik"2:41
6."Black Swan"4:10
7."Away/Absent"7:25

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 ""A Year With No Summer" review at Metal Hammer UK #282".
  2. 1 2 ""A Year With No Summer" review at Terrorizer #269".
  3. ↑ "Obsidian Kingdom – A Year With No Summer". Heavy Blog Is Heavy. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  4. 1 2 3 "Obsidian Kingdom – A Year With No Summer". Discogs. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  5. ↑ "Ritxi Ostáriz › A Year With No Summer". Ritxi Ostáriz. Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  6. ↑ "ELENA GALLEN". ELENA GALLEN. Archived from the original on 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  7. 1 2 Haan, Roel de. "Review Obsidian Kingdom – A Year Without Summer". Lords of Metal. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  8. 1 2 "Obsidian Kingdom – A Year with No Summer – Album Review". HEAVY Magazine. 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  9. 1 2 "Obsidian Kingdom – A Year with No Summer Review | Angry Metal Guy". Angry Metal Guy. 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  10. ↑ "NO CLEAN SINGING » KEVINP'S ALBUMS OF THE MONTH — MARCH 2016". 31 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  11. ↑ "Rumblings From the Underground: Voidnaga, Anger As Art, Criminal + More". Loudwire. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  12. ↑ "'A Year With No Summer' Review". Angry Metal Guy. March 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  13. ↑ Kupermintz, Eden (March 2016). "Obsidian Kingdom 'A Year With No Summer'". Heavy Blog is Heavy. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  14. ↑ McFee, Edwin (April 2016). "Obsidian Kingdom 'A Year With No Summer'". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  15. ↑ Holroyd, Ray (April 2016). "Obsidian Kingdom 'A Year With No Summer'". Terrorizer. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  16. ↑ "Sh*t That Comes Out Today: March 11, 2016". MetalSucks. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  17. ↑ "Obsidian Kingdom – A Year With No Summer | Echoes And Dust". echoesanddust.com. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  18. ↑ "OBSIDIAN KINGDOM – A Year With No Summer". Metalitalia.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  19. ↑ "NO CLEAN SINGING » KEVINP'S ALBUMS OF THE MONTH — MARCH 2016". 31 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  20. ↑ progmanrob (2016-03-01). "Obsidian Kingdom – "A Year With No Summer"". Progressive Music Planet. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  21. ↑ "Obsidian Kingdom - Chroniques, biographie, discographie - french-metal.com". www.french-metal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  22. ↑ "Obsidian Kingdom: A Year With No Summer". Prog. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
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