Obscurus Rex: Stand Up And Be Counted

Judging by the heartfelt words Athens, Greece four-piece Obscurus Rex have chosen to adorn the inside cover of their debut EP, it’s been quite the journey for Manos Xanthakis on vocals, Kimonas Alex on guitars, Panos Karabelas on bass and Dimitris Sakkas on drums to get the results released, and having the tenacity to pursue their heavy metal dreams has to be commended. Stand Up And Be Counted is a four track introduction and one that covers quite a few bases by way of a first foray. With singer Manos often reminding of Bruce Dickinson, one of the most obvious touching points is Iron Maiden but as “IT� and “Red� flash past, so is a bluesier side and the occasional glimpse of Deep Purple. As often as not though it’s the heavier end of the spectrum that’s being explored here and with no little enthusiasm. What’s maybe lacking however is a budget to back up the ambition, with the sound across this EP just a little too perfunctory to really allow the ambitions of what’s been attempted to hit home. With the songwriting also happy to follow some well worn paths, there’s little to make this release truly stand out and yet there’s no denying that what heavy metal really needs to thrive is heart and soul, and both of those aspects are here in abundance.

While Stand Up And Be Counted may not quite contain the rush of adrenalin truly required to capture the imagination, in many ways it does encapsulate what this style of music is all about - escapism, self belief and possessing the guts to see things through. As a first step, if I was to be brutally honest, there’s still quite a lot of work for Obscurus Rex to do to reach the heights they are clearly aiming for, but don’t count them out because they definitely have something about them that suggests they might just make it in the long run.

Track Listing
1. IT
2. Your Enemy Tonight
3. 4 Justice
4. Red

Added: May 24th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Obscurus Rex online
Hits: 313
Language: english

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