Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows Review

I’m going to come out and say it. Arch Enemy has done untold damage to female-fronted metal bands. While their influence is undeniable, every iteration of the band has featured monotone vocals, cringe-inducing lyrics, and leather-clad frontwomen. As a woman, I have no issue with these things in a vacuum, but in the larger music sphere, they created simultaneously high and absurdly low standards. Requiring frontwomen to be stereotypically hot, thin, and sport bright hair, while also plummeting standards on the musical side with their milquetoast melodeath slop. This is an ill omen for North Carolina’s Blackwater Drowning, seemingly following in Arch Enemy’s footsteps on a surface level, but do they make the same mistakes from a musical perspective, or are they influenced only in aesthetics?

Blackwater Drowning’s sophomore album, Obscure Sorrows, is at times a grab bag of popular metal cliches. Their latest is full of groovy, djent-laden riffs and chugging, staccato metalcore. Light orchestration adds obligatory bombast to intros and a few sections, while uninspired cleans occasionally show up as if they are a necessary evil. Vocalist Morgan Riley has more range and skill than their clear inspirations (Arch Enemy), but ultimately sits in the mid-range for far too long, and her clean singing lacks skill and panache. The highlight of Obscure Sorrows is guitarist Ron Dalton’s playing and the rich production (courtesy of Cryptopsy guitarist Christian Donaldson). Dalton’s riffs cover a wide range of styles, and the album highlight “Heir Of The Witch” is where the band should focus their sound, with its rolling energy and massive groove. Bassist Aria Novi shines due to the quality production, and frequently bolsters Dalton’s riffs and drummer Aamon Dalton’s technical hammering. There is no lack of talent across the band, but the whole crew seems too comfortable sitting in the mid-range, making for an album that bleeds together.

Obscure Sorrows’ biggest sin is its inability to shake things up. Across the ten tracks, they all sit in such similar spaces that they are hard to tell apart. Even song lengths are eerily similar, and they tend to reach for the same tired notes, making for music that lacks hooks. It feels harsh to lay so much at the feet of Blackwater Drowning, because the band clearly isn’t lacking in technical skill, but I think comparing songs to each other and treating the album as a whole shows a record that is far too safe and too middling in its soundscape. Clean singing makes occasional appearances but rarely stands out except on “Teeth and Claws,” which features some genuine atmosphere and brooding emotion.

Obscure Sorrows isn’t bad by any stretch, and the album opener, “The Sixth Omen,” features a roaring intro riff, even if it devolves into an uninspired chorus. The production elevates the album, and the clarity and crunch on display are admirable even if the source material doesn’t necessarily do it justice. “Washed Out, Washed Away” is backed by a crushing blackened death riff, and “Where Men Fear To Tread” showcases Morgan Riley’s skill on the low end alongside an anthemic chorus bookended by a teetering solo. “Teeth And Claws” evil lead riff helps the track ascend the mid-range soup and features some creative cleans from Riley.

In the end, Obscure Sorrows is an album I wanted to love, and with a bit of editing, variety, and focus on groove, Blackwater Drowning could truly stomp fools on their next record. As it stands, their latest is a competent, if safe, drop in the female-fronted melodeath bucket. Fans of the genre may get more out of it than I did, and they easily beat Arch Enemy at their own game, but Blackwater Drowning has a bit of work to do before they can truly drop the barn burner I know they are capable of. Luckily, this is a young band with a hopefully long career ahead of them, and as many say, the third time is the charm.