After the release in 2014 of the excellent album Sands of Time, the Russian band Restless Oblivion, good interpreter of death doom in its more melodic guises, had lost track of their tracks. The welcome return to the long-distance scene comes with Saga, a work anticipated two years earlier by the single Mistilteinn, which reinforces the good impressions received on the occasion of the debut, making them regret even more the long period of recording silence. The Voronezh band’s sound is, on the one hand, part of the northern European school, with some points of contact with bands in the vein of When Nothing Remains, even if with less impact from the keyboard part, but there is also a link to the sounds of the American matrix with reference to the essentials Daylight Dies, which, apart from a production that is not exactly rich in terms of quantity, have inspired many bands dedicated to the sub-genre. All of the five tracks on the album are up to the task, as is the work of the musicians, beginning from a flawless and also quite intelligible growl and ending with a guitar section that weaves poignant melodies. Obviously Restless Oblivion do not limit themselves to this, but also push on the accelerator when necessary, exhibiting a great balance in tying the components of their sound; this is a band that, unfortunately, could pay in terms of popularity for the long absence from the scene and it is a pity because I believe that, at least as far as Eastern Europe is concerned, we are in the presence of one of the best expressions of melodic death doom. The hope is that it will not be so long before we hear a new release from this fine reality.

2022 – Independent