If, like me, you’re feeling like a little metallic triumph to go along with your Tuesday afternoon, might I point you in the direction of Oakland, California, four-maybe-five-piece Embers. They formed in 2004 and since then have been getting off on a blend of ambient black and death metal that seems to leave just enough room for heaviness that comes from more than just squibbly guitars, screamed vocals and double-bass drumming.

To wit, “Forsaken,” from their latest self-released full-length, Shadows. Bassist/vocalist Kelly Nelson sits far back in the mix in what’s becoming the American black metal tradition, but nothing about Embers comes off as purposely lo-fi or overly posturing. Keys add ambience without symphonic silliness, and as the album moves along, the heft in the guitars of Steven DiCaprio and Timm Kennedy, as heard on the title cut, are a welcome change from the tinny-sounding genre norm.

I know they’re not really a fit with what The Obelisk usually covers, but every now and again I dig some more extreme metal and figured I’d share. The band are reportedly looking for a label and want to get the record out on vinyl, but in the meantime, can be checked out via Thee Facebooks, their own website or Bandcamp page, from which the player below was hoisted so you can stream Shadows if so inclined:

Tags: California, Embers, Oakland, Unsigned bands

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 at 1:36 pm and is filed under On the Radar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.