King Delusion is the third album by German band Nailed To Obscurity in about a decade of career. Undoubtedly the guys from Lower Saxony must be used to take their time before releasing a new album, but all in all the fruits compensate the expectations; we are not talking about an epochal work capable of shifting the balance within the melodic death doom, but we are certainly in the presence of a work of undoubted executive thickness and with more than one passage of great impact. If we want, what could be the strong point of Nailed To Obscurity, that is the meeting between the melodic death of Scandinavian school and the one veined with doom, could be also a negative aspect, risking not to satisfy the most intransigent fans in any of the two currents. Beyond this, King Delusion has all the characteristics, however, to be appreciated by those who love robust scores, rhythmic and a bit melancholy, especially because impeccable for sound and relatively high usability. Trying to shake with a certain obstinacy Novembers Doom, Dark Tranquillity, Opeth and Swallow The Sun, what comes out is broadly the content of this album, which sees its peaks in Memento and Devoid, songs that are wrapped in guitar lines definitely addictive, while the rest of the tracklist does not disappoint and does not exalt, leaving quite positive feelings at the end of listening. If I really have to make a note to Nailed To Obscurity is the lack of a certain depth, not fully compensated by the mastery of the genre: the king is not at all a disappointment, but in the long run some of the characteristics highlighted prevent the album to reach excellence despite, I repeat, the listening turns out to be quite pleasant.

2017 – Apostasy Records