A Frustrated scream into the void
Echo Scale™:4/5
★★★★☆-This Song Means Business
Anonymous Edinburgh based musician Obelisk is not here to play, he’s hear to pour his signature aggression into every note, every drum hit and every “F*ck off”. Conceived as a masked project, Obelisk aims to connect with listeners while exploring whether this leads to deeper engagement and curiosity from them. Born from the frustration of not having his creative voice heard, Obelisk now makes it impossible not to.
“Where do you end?” starts as it means to go on; a beer can opens, a vomit-threatening burp spills out, I know where this is going and I can’t wait. Hard hitting, heavy synths slap you from both sides in a very loud, aggressive mix. The guitar tone blends perfectly with the synths, it is bass heavy but not through ignorance, through artistic choice. This is a crazy, The Prodigy influenced rant at those who have ignored Obelisk and let’s be clear here. I love it.
Sticking to his native Scottish accent makes this track far more relatable and from the heart than it would be if Obelisk put on the Faux-American accent so many Brits feel the need to. Obelisk is cutting through the bullsh*t and giving a vocal performance to be seriously proud of. Am I fully convinced by the shouted/spoken word verses? No. Great idea but could flow better. In terms of vocal ability Obelisk is in no way lacking though, excellent clean vocals and a gut wrenching scream that really gets you in the feels.
There really is something so familiar and comforting about being told to “F*ck off” in a Scottish accent.
In my teenage years, this probably would have been lumped in with “Electronicore”. That term absolutely does not apply here. This is so far from the skinny-jean clad, sparrow legged emo boys of Electronicore. This is electronic metal with an insatiable punk appetite.
Polished, polished near perfection; yet somehow still raw, merciless and filled with all the attitude of a bar fight. Being able to capture this is testament not just to the excellent performance but the genuinely incredible production. This track just pops. From the menacing, lingering bass synth in the verse to the soaring heights of the chorus, every detail has been thought of to make this uniquely Obelisk. A breakdown semi-reminiscent of Royal Blood once again shines a light on Obelisk’s ability to seamlessly blend instruments. He knows how to create a mood, he knows how to write a killer song and this couldn’t be more true than with “Where Do You End?”.
Final Verdict
Obelisk hasn’t just announced himself, he has broken through the wall of the scene with a sledgehammer, drank your beer, left a skid mark on your toilet and told you to f*ck off. Somehow he has also made you enjoy it?
A perfectly engineered, excellently written banger which shows Obelisk has absolutely no intention of slowing down and this writer certainly hopes he doesn’t. One to watch for sure. Show Obelisk some love on the socials below.
Echo Scale™:4/5
★★★★☆-This Song Means Business
