Jyväskylä, Finland's
Obscurant began in the year 2000 as a solo project for vocalist and lead guitarist Sami Luukkainen (ex-Alghazanth, Empyrean Bane, etc.), but was duly fleshed out into a proper band with the arrival of second guitarist Mika Kaakkolahti, keyboardist Antti Simonen, bassist Matti Honkonen, and drummer Järvinen, soon after. Boasting a harsh death metal sound counterbalanced with heavy doses of atmospheric melody and extensive synthesizer use, the band's 2002 debut, Lifeform: Dead, resembled works by the likes of
Hypocrisy and Finland's own recently defunct
Sentenced, and was issued by Woodcut Records. A similarly styled follow-up entitled
First Degree Suicide arrived in 2005. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia