The Obsessed (doom metal) - The church within (full album) 1994

© TO THE OWNERS AND COPYRIGHT HOLDERS: All music used in uploaded videos belongs to their respective owners: my channel does not monetize and it is not my intention to infringe copyright, but if copyright holders want my video removed, before taking any action, please contact me so that I can delete it immediately. ***** Released in 1994, “The Church Within“ is an album that has divided fans of The Obsessed. A first element of difference, apart from the general sound, decidedly more present and heavy, will be given by the entry of Guy Pinhas on bass, in place of the outgoing Scott Reeders, who will go to Kyuss. The leaden and fuller style of Pinhas, very present in the mix, will in fact contribute to giving “The Church Within“ a different and much less stoner nuance. But if The Obsessed remain a doom band that perhaps almost never really played a canonical doom, the coordinates of “The Church Within“ take some of the ideas that already appeared here and there in the previous albums to the extreme, giving life to a particular record it’s different. Basically, the album is extremely variegated: we therefore enjoy many rock, psychedelic, heavy, stoner and even punk/hardcore cross-sections and in general a remarkable rock dynamism, which collides with the huge riffs and the impressive doom veins, which exalt by comparison, they stand out even more in their dusty, ghostly monumentality. Compared to the past, the dark and oppressive vein that the album assumes grows, almost tinged with metal, compared to the faster and more open predecessor. The atmosphere is heavy and oppressive: the pieces are more complex and developed, partly overcoming that taste for composition typical of Wino. Thus, taking the first five tracks, we will have five different situations: “To Protect and to Serve“ (the ideal second part of “Brother Blue Steel“ contained in the previous disc) shows an evident rock coloring which, even with a very slow dynamic, emerges from the riffing clearly. “Field of Hour“ instead is more cadenced and oppressive, and then opens up to sudden and powerful accelerations with bass and guitar to give support. “Streamlined“ instead is decidedly faster and more sustained, almost close to the classic heavy, complete with a pedal carpet and frenetic solo. “Blind Lightning“ is instead typically doom, with an insistent, incessant riff that seems like a sea that continually hits a cliff, until the refrain in which it becomes even heavier. Finally, “Neatz Brigade“ starts with a catacomb riff which then turns into a dynamic and fast verse that breaks on a broken and tense bridge, up to the refrain that opens, but always with the typical harshness of The Obsessed, never truly free from the dark. Five conceptions if we want to be similar to each other but substantially particular, articulated and personal, with Wino who drops his recognizable artist’s hand everywhere and creates five pearls one after the other, with extreme ease, then dominating them with his splendid and nervous vocality; a real trademark as much as the guitar style. The hardcore outburst that opens and closes “A World Apart“ is just the umpteenth brushstroke to a nervous and changeable picture, which knows no decline in quality. An idea of the difference between “Lunar Womb“ and “The Church Within“ can be found in “Mourning“, which recalls the track “Kachina“ from the previous album. It is evident how in the face of two rather similar songs the result is completely different, largely leaving the psychedelic drifts and assuming metal connotations that are well suited to the suffocating doom vein. Closing of album that remains of the highest level with “Touch of Everything“ and “Decimation“ among the best compositions ever of this album, up to the instrumental “Living Rain“, in which all three musicians give their best, seasoning a riff stonebreaker to the real perception of a perfectly rendered rain, sealing yet another great test. “The Church Within“ was a breakup record in its own way. Soon after the album’s release, The Obsessed broke up again (barring sporadic reunions) for over sixteen years. Wino will seek his creativity in more bands while Pinhas and Rogers will found the excellent Goatsnake. Difficult to understand the reason for such a decision in the face of the growing interest that the band was receiving. Probably the inspiration was taking the musician to shores far from the identity of this band. Despite the very high value of all the production linked to the name of Wino, a certain regret remains for having had to wait until 2017 to listen to a new album by The Obsessed. 00:00 To protect and to serve 03:04 Field of hours 08:43 Streamlined 10:52 Blind lightning 14:33 Neatz brigade 21:21 A world apart 22:54 Skybone 26:43 Streetside 30:09 Climate of despair 33:13 Mourning 37:19 Touch of everything 41:55 Decimation 46:03 Living rain Scott “Wino“ Weinrich – vocals and guitar Guy Pinhas – bass Greg Rogers – drums