Obbrobrius have put Usurped up in full, a week before Over the Border Records release it on 6 November.
The band are from Abruzzo and made their first album, Daisy's Creepy Tales, on their own in 2024. That record is what got them signed, as the second band the label has ever taken on, and the songs released so far suggested a band with more ideas than a debut usually leaves room for.
What is interesting is that they explain the method rather than leaving it to somebody else. The goal, they say, is a highly rhythmic metal that does not do what Pantera and Lamb of God do and keep the groove as the only dynamic across a whole song, but lets it erupt into death metal instead. That is a precise description of a difficult thing to pull off.
The lyrics come from true crime, post-apocalyptic cinema, the pandemic and horror literature, all pointed at mental distress. Five men using the names Shouter, Johnny Hell, Hellkymic Frenk, Dave Filth and Metfrey, which tells you they are not taking themselves too seriously while doing it. Leviathan's Cage has a video.