Esens, Germany. Nestled at whatever-end of Lower Saxony, where the East Frisian Islands form a barrier against the wailing North Sea, the town of 7,000 has slept the years away. Most people haven't heard of Esens, once home to Baroque composer Philipp Heinrich Erlebach. But if they have, they've often confused it with Essen, Germany's ninth largest city. Well, that's about to change. Not the confusing part, but the fact that rising death metal stars NAILED TO OBSCURITY are about to put Esens on the proverbial map with new album, 'Black Frost', their first for Nuclear Blast Records.
Formed in 2005 by teenagers Jan-Ole Lamberti (guitars) and Volker Dieken (guitars), NAILED TO OBSCURITY went through the usual ups and downs as a band. The Germans took their name from a song off HATE ETERNAL's debut album, 'Conquering The Throne', but that's another story for another time. Mere months after forming, NAILED TO OBSCURITY issued their first demo, 'Our Darkness'. While most bands live and die on the possibility of signing a label deal, NAILED TO OBSCURITY persevered, releasing their debut album, 'Abyss', independently in 2007. Certainly, line-up shifts were part of the progression as a band, but Lamberti and Dieken -the band's primary songwriters -pushed on, with Jann Hillrichs (drums) and Carsten Schorn (bass) forming the rhythmic foundation. By the time, the group ushered in 'Opaque' in 2013 and 'King Delusion' in 2017 -both for German independent Apostasy Records -they were a different band entirely. BURIAL VAULT vocalist Raimund Ennenga had replaced Alexander Dirks in 2012, and the rest, at least for the present, is history.
Today, NAILED TO OBSCURITY remain Lamberti and Dieken's labor of love, but the duo are far from authoritarian in the way they write music. In fact, while the two axe-slingers comprise the creative core, NAILED TO OBSCURITY complete songs as a band. Songs like 'Tears Of The Eyeless,' 'The Aberrant Host,' 'Road To Perdition,' and the magnificent title track were part of NAILED TO OBSCURITY's weekend forays into the depths of melodic death metal (and beyond). Lyrically, 'Black Frost' continues Ennenga's fascination with struggle, strife, and self-control. The album title was plucked from a concept inspired by seafaring terminology. While at sea, ships may become over-burdened by black frost, a phenomenon where fog or rain freezes to the moorings or masts causing ships to become unbalanced. Unbalanced ships capsize easily. Ennenga took this concept to heart, applying it to humans, who struggle to control fear, anger, or rage. The idea is a cautionary tale to all of us to not let the black frost over-burden our minds.
Where NAILED TO OBSCURITY take 'Black Frost' from here is on tour. As much as the Germans enjoy the creative process and working in the studio, they are, in the end, a live band. A really good live band. They have the track record - where they were either direct support for ARCH ENEMY, PARADISE LOST, and AT THE GATES or main support for DARK TRANQUILLITY - to show for it. Additionally, NAILED TO OBSCURITY have also performed in front of thousands at festivals like Wacken Open Air, Party.San Metal Open Air, and Bloodstock Open Air. So, watch out for NAILED TO OBSCURITY! They'll be in everywhere in 2019 in support of 'Black Frost'.