Obiat to Release Indian Ocean July 4
It was very nearly 13 years ago that Obiat released their Eye Tree Pi (review here), and I’ll be honest, as an entire generation of heavy rock and roll has come up in and around London in no small part thanks to the advent of Desertfest there and the impact of the native scene on export heavy, I’ve wondered more than a few times where the hell Obiat are. Now, it seems, they’re back at last. The band has posted two singles already from their new full-length, Indian Ocean — one was premiered here, you can stream both at the bottom of this post — and when it comes to “Acid Wake,” I’m still plenty content to hear Type O Negative-style riffing with Amorphisian flourish topped by Alice in Chains-style harmonies and a straight-up doomed atmosphere. That’ll do quite nicely until July 4 when Indian Ocean will see its official release.
There are two different versions of the cover art that will be available, I think one for vinyl, one not? Don’t quote me on that, but at this point I’m content to say there’s new Obiat coming. Last year when they hit me up about the single, I was pleasantly surprised there was forward progress at all. Sometimes these things take a while.
From the PR wire:
The new Obiat album ‘Indian Ocean’ out in July 2022
We are OBIAT – UK and Australian based progressive, sludge/doom metal band, brushed with psychedelia and fronted by soulful vocals.
Imagine dark heavy riffs from the likes of Black Sabbath, Pallbearer, Kyuss, Candlemass, AIC… stirred up with Pink Floyd Pompeii atmospherics, brass sections and bamboo flutes. Obiat are HEAVY and mellow, LOUD and quiet.
Our 4th album; “Indian Ocean” is now ready for release (scheduled release date; 04.07.22). Mixed and mastered by Chris Fielding (Conan, Electric Wizard, Napalm Death). So far, the new album has been supported by two singles (‘Sea Burial’ and ‘Acid Wake’) which were premiered during 2021 and are available through most music streaming services.
About us and how we got here;
Obiat is a British band with Polish roots. The band was formed in Szczecin, Poland in 1998 by Rafal ‘Raf’ Reutt and Adam Cichocki before relocating to London in 2000, where they hooked up with Hungarian born singer Laszlo ‘Laz’ Pallagi. The band cut their teeth on the live circuit alongside a plethora of guest musicians who would also go on to contribute to their studio recordings over the years, including Marlene Ribeiro (GNOD) Simon Oakes (Peach, Suns Of The Tundra) Andrew Prestidge (The Osiris Club, 40Watt Sun, Warning, Angel Witch, Winters, SOTT) John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, Kino, Lonely Robot) – A full list is available on the band’s social media platforms.
OBIAT have had the pleasure of playing all over the UK and Europe through numerous tours and festival appearances, sharing the stage with the likes of Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, Pelican, My Dying Bride, Voivod and Testament to name just a few.
Three albums have been released to date; Accidentally Making Enemies (2002), Emotionally Driven Disturbulence (2005) and EyeTreePi (2009) which was released on America’s ‘Small Stone Records’, engineered by Chris Fielding, then mixed and mastered by the illustrious Billy Anderson (Melvins, Neurosis, Swans, Sleep, Brutal Truth, Mr Bungle). EyeTreePi saw the addition of Alex Nervo on bass and Neil Dawson on drums/percussion, resulting in what the band say is the core that they’ve been searching for since its inception. All albums are available on Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube music and many more platforms.
Cover art feat. original painting by Andrew_Prestidge Art, sleeve design by Roland Scriver at Familiar Ink Recorded throughout 2020-2021 in UK and Australia. Mixed and Mastered by Chris Fielding.
OBIAT ‘Indian Ocean’
1. Ulysses
2. Eyes and Soul
3. Acid Wake
4. Nothing Above
5. Sea Burial
6. Ad Meliora
7. Beware The North Star
8. Lightness of Existence
Also featuring;
Sofia DeVille – Vocals (4).
Arek Kasprzak – Bamboo flutes Quenacho and Shakuhachi (1, 3 and 8).
Marta Rakowska – Trombone (2, 4 & 5).
Tomasz Bachorz – Saxophone (2, 4 & 5).
Fumio Takaki – Voice (8).
Obiat:
Alex Nervo – Bass.
Neil Dawson – Drums.
Raf Reutt – Guitars & Keys
Sean Cooper – Vocals & Lyrics
https://www.facebook.com/Obiatband
https://www.instagram.com/_obiat_/
https://obiat.bandcamp.com/
