Obstacles are working on a new 12" EP for release via in the next couple months. Four songs supposedly showcasing "a new side" of the band, whatever that means. They're also heading over to Russia in mid-April for a string of dates:
There's more than a few bands who call themselves Trust, but only one of them is a gnarly math-rock band from Denmark. Forget the French thrashers, the Canadian synth act or whatever other variation might pop in your head because none of them will be covered here. Much like their labelmates Obstacles, Trust excels at matching their instrumental acuity with heaviness and melody and comes out sounding very similar to two excellent bands local to me: C Average and Helms Alee. The former is an obvious comparison due to the drums + guitar duo format (stir it up, add plenty of octave pedal), but it's those soaring vocals and epic riffs that really make the band and are far more comparable to the latter. Similarily, I can only presume that they are likewise underrated, as these kinds of bands so often are. Get through the flurries of notes and take note of what you find on the other side!
has confirmed that Trust's full-length debut "From light into mass" will be released on January 31. I managed to listen to about 2/3rds of it last night and it's pretty cool; definitely well worth checking out for anyone into the label's other releases (Menfolk, Obstacles, etc.) or heavy math-rock in general. The band will also be touring Europe in February and you can get dates here: http://playrec.dk/default.aspx?section=schedule
This is a good choice of a track to showcase Obstacles' many strengths. Though undoubtedly a mathrock band, they know how to properly employ empty space and held notes and also, most importantly, they understand how to maintain a proper melodic theme. Yeah, they do get to hammering on, but it goes with the territory (and title). And really, as far as this sort of stuff goes, it's all done quite tastefully. Doubt it'll convert any non-believers, but anyone already down with the scene would do well to check these dudes out.
Direct video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy1GwmL-TrA
Obstacles - Twilight of the Idiots or, how to philosophize while hammering on
With very few exceptions, purely instrumental rock albums get very tedious very quickly, often highlighting the importance of the vocal element in adding an extra, somewhat essential, dimension to the overall experience. København's Obstacles fall somewhere between exposing this shortfall and revealing that the inclusion of a singer isn't as important as some may think. The album displays an insane amount of technical wizardry, falling in and out of rock and free jazz, at times sounding like an intense math-rock jam session. Closing track "Locomotive" is where "Dividual" both rises and falls. Featuring the only vocal performance on the album, it makes it very clear that the music Obstacles plays benefits greatly from having a singer -- in this case Henrik W. Hald of Trust and Rising fame -- in the fold. His inclusion offers a distinct Mastodon vibe and shows, undeniably, that this is a band who has the potential to reach a level of appreciation that will escalate them to a greater international recognition. The music is of the same style as on the rest of the album; it's just that where the other, voice-free, tracks often wind up sounding a little too much like fret-wankery of the highest order, the vocal addition gives us something additional to concentrate on, resulting in a greater, true appreciation of the musicianship on display. There's great potential here. Whether or not the band decides to capitalize on that is entirely up to them. - John Norby
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Bastard Priest - Power of death
02. TALK 1
03. Mindy Misty - Dead pan frenzy
04. Mother of the Forest - Kingdom
05. Säkert! - Fredrik
06. TALK 2
07. Pistol Disco - Pool
08. Obstacles - Rorschach
09. Radar - Paradigm shift
10. TALK 3
11. The Bear Quartet - Fist or hand
12. Niels Nielsen - Dpend
13. Adam Tensta - Young black boy
14. TALK 4
15. I'm Kingfisher - Willing night plants
16. Joel Alme - No class
17. Dear Euphoria - Coming down
18. The Genuine Fakes - When reality hits you
19. TALK 5
20. Brick - Call Batman
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
Danish math-rockers Obstacles are now streaming a couple new tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/obstaclesband
The band's debut full-length "Dividual" comes out September 20 via PlayRec.
has officially signed Danish instrumental/noiserock act Obstacles, a fact that shouldn't be too surprising if you read the label's "Top 10s for 2009" list. Look for them to release the band's debut full-length in August.
Danish act Obstacles will be releasing a split 7" with Americans Auxes (ex-Milemarker/Challenger) via Czech label . No exact release date, but it's been sent off for pressing, so expect it to be available in a few weeks.
Danish instrumental noiserockers Obstacles just finished recording three new tracks for a 7" to be released via Red Tape Records and are streaming them at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/obstaclesband
See them on tour in September:
Obstacles