Nailed To Obscurity – Generation Of The Void Album Review

Formed in Germany in 2005, Nailed To Obscurity made little concession to mainstream concerns, and their ethos has hardly changed across the ensuing 20 years. With a hard-edged yet melancholic sound that nods to the likes of Opeth, 40 Watt Sun, and Katatonia, the band are back with epic new album Generation Of The Void – their first full-length effort in six years – and, as the previously released singles attest, it has been worth the wait. 

As if to make up for their absence, the band waste little time in drawing the listener in. Glass Bleeding finds Nailed To Obscurity deftly juxtaposing monstrous death metal with haunting doom passages to impressive effect. It’s an intense, memorable opener that sets a high bar for what is to follow. Fans of the band will be familiar with the next track, Liquid Mourning, which was originally released as a single way back in 2022. An elegant track that nods to Katatonia’s still wondrous Great Cold Distance, it finds gleaming guitars and half-heard whispers floating dreamily through the mix. 

Having set a solid pace for the album, Nailed To Obscurity let loose with something a little harder and darker next, in the form of Overcast. While still a multifaceted piece that allows richly melancholic textures the necessary space to roam, the relentless double kick and wah-soaked guitar showcase a band exploring the heavier side of the sound, and the results are undeniably thrilling. No less powerful is Spirit Corrosion, a slower burning piece of music that offers towering riffs, the carefully layered vocals of Raimund Ennenga, and death metal passages, all woven into a coherent and memorable whole that neatly summarises the band’s enduring appeal in just five minutes. One of those songs that just feels… big, it is accessible without being overtly so, even down to the singalong chorus, and it perfectly epitomises the band’s ability to weave together disparate elements to make something uniquely theirs. It leaves the dramatic riffing of Generation Of The Void to wrap up a broadly flawless first half with post-punk textures, rich harmonies, and a chorus that looks to the sky even as it warns of the impending depths. 

Opening the album’s second half, eerie keyboards pave the way for the tumultuous riffs of Echo Attempt, a schizophrenic piece that shifts gears easily from dense, metallic passages to its airy verses and back. The band strip things right back on the eerie, heartbroken Allure, which finds keyboards and synth swirls adding to the rich atmosphere the band evoke. A track with more than a hint of Ulver’s mid period to it, it’s a wonderful piece of music; as is the heavier Clouded Frame, which surges with muscular riffs and heavy grooves. 

With just two songs to go, the band dig deep to pull out the mesmerising Misery’s Messenger, a song that takes a winding path before ending up in a raging torrent of punishing double kick and harrowing vocals. The brooding album then wraps up with the haunted beauty of The Ides Of Life. A carefully arranged finale, it brings all the pieces together, highlighting the band’s musical strengths while also pointing to where they may head next – let’s only hope it’s not such a wait to get there! 

A beautifully recorded, arranged, and performed body of work, Generation Of The Void is clearly a labour of love for the band, with each song slotting neatly into place on an album that flows beautifully across its 55-minute runtime. Heavy yet melancholic, bruised yet beautiful, this is a record to treasure and it may prove to be Nailed To Obscurity’s finest, most measured work to date. 8.5/10