oh yes! that were the first words flashing my mind after i won the auction for this gem right here. obscura's "omnivium" was a major want of mine and i always struggled with the high prices asked for coloured copies. when relapse records, the label on which "omnivium" appeared, announced a re-press of "cosmogenesis" earlier on this year, i hoped for a re-press of the band's third album as well. but the day never came until now and so i went on scanning second hand market places waiting for the right chance.
shortly after i recieved my copy of the newest obscura record "diluvium", i came across a french ebay auction. i had to use a translator to understand the description because my french is pretty much non-existent. it said the auction was about the green with white marble edition with a starting bid of fifty bucks. at the moment asking prices on discogs start at eighty euros and so i considered taking a chance on the auction. there was just a sketchy picture of the cover and so i wasn't sure of the condition all around. but maybe this was also repelling others from bidding. in the end the temptation was too great to resist and i won the auction for the starting bid.
ten bucks on top for shipping made the amount of money considerable but ok to me. when the record arrived i was a bit disappointed by the condition the cover sleeve was in. beginning ring wear and a few corner dings showed that pre-owner didn't understand to store his vinyl carefully. luckily the records theirselves are in perfect condition, so that made up for the cover. musically "omnivium" showcases all the strengths of the band in perfect harmony. everything is so well conducted and right in place that i run out on superlatives to describe its beauty. just listen to the doomy "ocean gateways" and the jaw-dropping almost-instrumental "a transcendental serenade" to get a glimpse of the perfection that is "omnivium". easily my favourite obscura record.
my copy is from the green/white marble edition but obviously i have one green marble disc and one green transparent disc. discogs shows a similar copy but i also found pictures on the net with two marble discs. after i inspected my records more thoroughly i saw that my marble copy isn't opaque but semi-translucent when held against the light. so it must be clear green pvc miced with opaque white to create the marble effect. looking at my transparent disc one can see some white streaks. so it seems that the pressing plant didn't throw enough white pvc into the mix for the second disc. anyway, sounds great cut at 45rpm. 266 copies made. relapse records. 2011.
post scriptum: i know, it is quite a while until february 2019 arrives but i couldn't help and get a ticket for the upcoming euro tour of obscura next year. i am excited like a kid and can't wait to see them. what a great line-up with fallujah and first fragment as supporting acts.
