### The Obsessed: Lunar womb

#### 06/07/09 || Khlysty

Released: 1991

##### Introduction

If you don’t know who Wino is and what he’s done for our favorite music, I wonder what you’re doing here. I mean, back in the ‘80s, when metal was going through changes of an unbelievable scale, Wino (whether with The Obsessed or with Saint Vitus) kept on forging a really trad metal path, going back to the stone age days of the genre (y’ know, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, the works…) for inspiration and injecting it with a healthy dose of DIY punk passion and ethos. All this shit combined to create great metal: heavy, melodic, passionate, powerful, tough-as-nails music that kept the flame alive and influenced countless bands. “Lunar Womb” is rightfully considered to be The Obsessed’s masterpiece, displaying in full force the band’s collective talent and compositional prowess and I think that Meteor City really deserves great kudos for reissuing the record, since the 1991 Hellhound Records release was almost impossible to find.

##### Songwriting

9,5. As I said before, this is metal-roots music, but with a twist: Wino and Co. move with the greatest ease from trudging, turgid Sabbath-on-‘luudes doomology to almost-hardcore blasts that come, destroy and go before anyone knows what hit them. What I find most impressive is the fact that the really slow numbers are kept in tight time frames, never exceeding the four-minute mark, without losing any of their power and morose atmosphere. Guys, this is SMART metal by a really smart band!

##### Production

9. Impressive production by the band and Matthias Schneeberger. Powerful and pretty clean for such heavy material. Good separation, nothing muffled, everything as in-yer-ass as possible.

##### Guitars

10. Wino’s guitar seems to be an extension of his whole being. Heroic (but also economic) solos, incredibly tight riffing, soulful playing… Tony should be very proud for at least this member of his progeny.

##### Vocals

9. THE voice for this kind of music: full of pathos and expression, but also gravelly and menacing, without theatrics or such shit. Perfect.

##### Bass

9. Coming from Scott Reeder (the guy who still plays without shoes, so that he can “feel” the music), what exactly do you expect? This is bottom-heavy, smart and creative bass playing.

##### Drums

9. Greg Rogers proves what a versatile and powerful drummer he is: whether dooming it out, or speeding things up, he’s always there, always ready, always dependable.

##### Lyrics

8. “A black wind was blowin’ – pierced the warm facade. At the very moment my blackened foot touched the earth. Gonna grab me a tunnel, and command me a berth”. Yes, dark and sometimes poetic, that’s our friend Wino…

##### Cover art

10. Goya’s infamous painting “Saturn devouring one of his children” adorns the cover. What else can I say?

##### Logo

9. The band’s name in Ye Olde Heavy Metal font. Classic

##### Booklet

9. Info about the band and the record, but no suck-dick hype. As it should be…

##### Overall and ending rant

9,5. I don’t give a shit if you call this doom, stoner or fuckall metal: this is great music by a great band. The Obsessed really peaked with “Lunar Womb”, and I would go so far as to say that this record is one of the blueprints of what a classic metal record should be. And if you think that I sound like a fanboy, well, listen to this shit and then you too will understand.

- Information
- Label: Meteor City (2006 reissue)
- Website: The Obsessed MySpace
- Band
- Scott “Wino” Weinrich: vocals, guitar
- Scott Reeder: bass
- Greg Rogers: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Brother Blue Steel
- 02. Bardo
- 03. Hiding Mask
- 04. Spew
- 05. Kachina
- 06. Jaded
- 07. Back to Zero
- 08. No Blame
- 09. No Mas
- 10. Endless Circles
- 11. Lunar Womb
- 12. Embryo