Review by Adam M on April 18, 2010.

One can detect some differences between the Obscura on "Retribution" and that to be found on "Cosmogenesis". The band has more of a distinctive tone here and doesn’t sound quite as much like mid to later Death. This is a good way to show oneself to the world. The band leans towards a more streamlined approach that can be likened to even Morbid Angel at times, but it works well to create that distinctive element the band are seeking. The band certainly crushes, but in a slightly less chaotic, more controlled sense this time around. There’s an idea that the band has progressed somewhat by the time "Cosmogenesis" comes around, but some may also like the primitiveness more.

It has an easier to appreciate appeal than what’s offered on their second album and can really pull you. That said, I think Obscura is definitely going in the right direction with their more recent album and this is just a great blueprint of things to come. There is an outstanding break in 'Sentiment' that is slightly ingenious, but fits in with the surroundings extremely well. Also, the cover of 'Lack Of Comprehension' is excellent in honouring the excellent original and putting their own touch on the proceedings. One small qualm with the disc is that the production could be a little clearer to help bring the band’s vision into place.

Most of the elements to be found here are quite solid, however, and worthy of multiple listens. This will appeal especially to those looking for standard sounding Death Metal that doesn’t have tendencies towards brutality or some singular trait. The album has the ability to sound pretty straightforward while bringing in enough different elements of Death Metal for a nice mixture. Overall, "Retribution" is a great debut for a band that shows great promise to develop into even greater things in the future.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 6.5
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8.1

Rating:7.9 out of 10

Review by Carl on February 3, 2024.

A double dose of Oscar Garcia, in this case brought to you by those mysterious people from Headache Records, who pressed the Terrorizer/Nausea split demo on vinyl in the early 90's. Unofficially, of course.

On the A side, it's the legendary Terrorizer, baby! Taking us on a tour through their rehearsal space while jamming out rough versions of some of their indestructible classics such as "Ripped to Shreds", "Corporation Pull In" and a shortened "After World Obliteration", as well as an obscure one. I suspect that these are rehearsal takes, because the sound is unpolished and kinda muffled, but it has to be said, for such a primitive take it all sounds pretty OK, but that could also be because I'm so familiar with the versions on "World Downfall". Still, the overall sound is no disaster, to be honest, at least not for the underground ear. The guitars are pretty audible, be it in the background a bit, while the drums (the snare foremost) come through well enough. Through this come the gruff growls of Garcia, struggling his way through the raging wall of sound during rehearsal. Some little slip ups and small mistakes are heard here and there, but despite this, you can clearly hear the well-oiled machine the band was, even back then. Even on these pretty crude and primitive recordings, one can hear the quality at play, with blast beats propelling forth the fluid and uncomplicated punkish guitar riffing, alternating the tempo with more hardcore/thrash type polka beats, all delivered with hardcore punk energy and crazy amounts of fervour. They were the perfect mix of primitive death/thrash and hardcore/grind, which can even be heard on these rough recordings. How do people say it again? Often imitated, never bettered, something like that?

After turning the record over, it's time for that other Oscar Garcia fronted formation, Nausea. Dealing with pretty much the same ingredients as Terrorizer, being raucous hardcore fueled riffing propelled forward by blasting ferocity, with of course again Garcia's gruff growl on top of the cake. From the sound of it, we are again treated to rehearsal recordings, and as with the Terrorizer side, the sound is unpolished and raw, yet it's not that hard to make out what's happening. Although being a bit sharper in sound, all the instruments can be heard well enough, only the vocals don't get through as good as on the Terrorizer side, but it's not difficult to get a good picture of Nausea's sound. The rapid fire guitar riffs and distorted bass get rushed forward by the blasting percussion, and furious velocity gets alternated by slower, mosh-ready parts, providing the perfect platform for the vocals. In its totality, Nausea has a more hardcore punk vibe to their music than Terrorizer does, giving the music a more basic feel throughout, adding an extra gnarly edge. True old school grindcore for the fanatic, alright.

Although this is a pretty interesting split because of the history behind it, I would not say that it is an essential release. The only reason that I have it in my collection is because it's a Headache release, a label I'm a bit of a collector nerd for. Besides, both bands have full lengths that showcase them in far better conditions than this release does, but if you are, like me, a completist, then this is still a pretty interesting release for sure.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10