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Toil

by Oberst

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Release date April 26th.

    Single LP on Gatefold. Black vinyl.

    Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Oberst emerges as a compelling force in the metal scene. The dynamic quartet was bound by a shared passion for music rather than a specific genre, and their sound evolved finding common ground with bands like Mastodon, Baroness, Converge, and Cult of Luna. However, the band's unique imprint extends beyond these influences, drawing from individual members' diverse musical backgrounds, spanning classic rock and jazz to modern pop.

    The release of their self-titled debut EP in 2015 was met with critical acclaim and praised as «some of the best metal produced in Norway for a long time» -HISSIG. The singles from the 4-track EP got played and recommended on national radio and featured on the acclaimed Norwegian TV series «Unge Lovende».

    After the release of their EP, Oberst signed with Indie Recordings, and released the debut album “Paradise” in 2020.

    “This opus is a promising start for Oberst”...” showcases their raw, unbridled talent impressively enough.” - Kerrang! Magazine “OBERST have done wonderfully in placing themselves firmly on the list of bands to watch out for” - Distorted Sound Magazine Oberst now sets the stage for their upcoming album, "Toil," set to release April 26th 2024. The album is a culmination of three years of dedicated effort, and it promises to deliver a fresh and exciting sound that transcends the boundaries of traditional rock and metal.

    About the upcoming album the band states: "Making this album, we raged and delved into the sorry state of the human condition, as seen from within and as an observer. This album is our opus to the very toil of living. The album may not have been catharsis for us, but we hope it can be of some solace and enjoyment to those inclined."

    TRACK LIST
    Chroma
    Repugnaissance
    A Breath and A Sigh
    Lifeline
    Invisible Hands
    Mules On A Mountain
    The Bends
    Bad Run
    Taxed And Brittle
    Toil

    Includes unlimited streaming of Toil via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Chroma 05:06
Lyrics: My bloody skin The thorns are digging in Some suffering will surely Bring me back from the fringe Forget to kneel And you're broken on the wheel So bright it melts your eyes I'm blind enough to lead the blind Avoid the light Or you might catch a glimpse An unbearable sight Fealty to deities That feed on grief They won't mind what you've done If you're the first one to pay You may join the rapture If you do as they say Take the whip to the choir Hold your tongue, be the liar The first one to break Gets a spot on top of the pyre Avert your gaze Embrace the dark Eyes on the ground Avoid the stars We're stuck down in our hole And here we'll drown In holy water Light Will rid the world of Life A cleansing fire No shade to save you The light will find us all It's here to dial back All that we've done Avert your gaze Embrace the dark Eyes on the ground Avoid the stars We're stuck down in our hole And here we'll drown In holy water Avoid the light Or you might catch a glimpse An unbearable sight Fealty to deities That feed on grief Avert your gaze Embrace the dark Eyes on the ground Avoid the stars We're stuck down in our hole And here we'll drown In holy water
2.
I've had trouble from the start As I gaze up at the stars The size of it all Is tearing me apart The human concession The life full of lessons In the blink of an eye A breath and a sigh Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Broken fathers Just a word of advice If you want to explore Take a single step back But not a single step more You will drown in the scale If you stray from the path And once you lose your grip You are never coming back Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Broken fathers We're not even links in the chain We're just rust on the links Still we're cursed to think And give it all to stay afloat We exist on the brink Only to loathe It would be nice to just sink But we insist we want more Black nights, gave life I'm just a piece of you Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Always ends in shame
3.
I've had trouble from the start As I gaze up at the stars The size of it all Is tearing me apart The human concession The life full of lessons In the blink of an eye A breath and a sigh Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Broken fathers Just a word of advice If you want to explore Take a single step back But not a single step more You will drown in the scale If you stray from the path And once you lose your grip You are never coming back Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Broken fathers We're not even links in the chain We're just rust on the links Still we're cursed to think And give it all to stay afloat We exist on the brink Only to loathe It would be nice to just sink But we insist we want more Black nights, gave life I'm just a piece of you Life leaves a certain stench Arriving and departing The struggles of countless mothers Always ends in shame
4.
Lifeline 01:34
You're fucking drowning But the water can't swallow us all Tie yourself to us And tie up everyone you know Belong (Come be free of all toil For once (We will absolve you, take part in your guilt) Belong We will float forever and ever
5.
Lyrics: As we fumble through the reeds No clue no idea Outrun the flooding, shelter from the heat Watch the locusts feed We beg for assistance We fail to see the path of least resistance And as were crushed by our ambitions Those who pack light will lead the way Follow the line in the sand Keep the faith, lose the mind Drag along the wall until you're nothing but pulp Beaten by invisible hands Can't be helped, can't be bothered I'm just one of the others We beg for assistance We fail to see the path of least resistance And as were crushed by our ambitions Those who pack light will lead the way This will be a part of me To clench my teeth and fight the stream Eyes adjust to pitch black night To keep in sight the speck of light No clue, no idea Can't be helped, can't be bothered Keep the faith, lose the mind I'm just one of the others We beg for assistance We fail to see the path of least resistance And as were crushed by our ambitions Those who pack light will lead We beg for assistance We fail to see the path of least resistance And as were crushed by our ambitions Those who pack light will lead the way
6.
Lyrics: A beaten path The slow ascension Into the fog Unbroken tension We tote a heavy load The harness drawing blood It seems our blinders Keep a lid on our contention Surrender vision Let the eyelids stop the rain Bury your head And let your frame absorb the strain Mules on a mountain Chase the root or get the cain It's the process and the purpose On this hill we die the same Break my arm, I beg for more I drink the poison, I bathe in gore Keep me blind, so I do not fret The light can't have me yet A world so callous, a life so cruel But I'll keep going if you keep me fooled Don't look down, it's all regrets, lost bets and cold sweats The endless scramble Senesless aim A far-off bounty A hollow name Stuck in the groove Blind for truth Uphold the herd No room for sleuths We know in our hearts The storm that we're chasing Will one day take care Of all of our cravings (cravings)
7.
The Bends 04:22
At first we thought we were free We're really trapped in nothingness Like sailors out at sea It's no-ones fault in particular A series of mistakes Underestimating what it takes As I surface and gasp for air The tension breaks I'm wide awake (I'm done) All the salt running through my veins The pressure kept me whole Come grab me by my ankles And pull me back down And pull me back down When we've put in the effort We get to stand at ease The work still remains We'll never be at peace The damage is still being done One will fill the bucket While the others bore a hole Digging a pit at the bottom of an hourglass Buried by the time that's past It's easier to go along When the water fills your lungs As I surface and gasp for air The tension breaks I'm wide awake (I'm done) All the salt running through my veins The pressure kept me whole Come grab me by my ankles And pull me back down And pull me back down And pull me back again
8.
Bad Run 04:52
Lyrics: I am spent My body ground to dust I guess we're built to last Just long enough to bust a nut Ill get through the day But then we'll have to see If there's more to give If there's life to live And I Can feel the rot inside of me As I make room for the bile Thats quickly taking the lead And the little that's left Is dissolving in the acid bath I've made of myself Beyond repair, buried in the ashes Love the pain, embrace the grey No more despair, just enjoy the final flashes What a sight, the bursts behind your eyes This phoenix is fucked It's burnt to crust It remains in the ashes The feathers all plucked A life spent flying to close to the sun A cancerous end, to a pretty bad run The altitude is what I loved most But it made my reunion with the ground fairly rough Beyond repair, buried in the ashes Love the pain, embrace the grey No more despair, just enjoy the final flashes What a sight, the bursts behind your eyes Beyond repair, buried in the ashes Love the pain, embrace the grey No more despair, just enjoy the final flashes What a sight, the bursts behind your eyes Beyond repair, buried in the ashes Love the pain, embrace the grey No more despair, just enjoy the final flashes What a sight, the bursts behind your eyes
9.
Lose, yearn You live and you learn Twist, turn You crash and you burn Follow prevailing winds The breeze grabs hold of everything A drifting sack of skin When the flow lets you go, you're alone again As we come out of the kiln Already cracks in our skin Taxed and brittle Pieces brake of as we harden No running, just crawl Search all the muck for gold Skin and nails left in the ground In pursuit of what can't be found Life in the pits, we eat where we shit We shovel as long as the lantern is lit But when that fire goes out There's nothing to do, we're already through As we come out of the kiln Already cracks in our skin Taxed and brittle Pieces brake of as we harden Push where it hurts Abrase where it burns Taxed and brittle Broken down by time and burden As we come out of the kiln Already cracks in our skin Taxed and brittle Pieces brake of as we harden Push where it hurts Abrase where it burns Taxed and brittle Broken down by time and burden
10.
Toil 05:19
Feed the mice A grain of rice And they go blind For what's behind Show them the sun A glimpse of blue sky They'll try to get burnt And live for the high And I tell myself, that this is fine We have to fall before we learn to fly But I'm well aware, our wings are broken We are plummeting through our own lies We keep our secrets Believe they're ours to own We're served up a slice A place to call home And I tell myself, that this is fine We have to fall before we learn to fly But I'm well aware, our wings are broken We are plummeting through our own lies Under heavy skies, Angst ridden flies Scatter the blame, say it again, say it again We're happy liars, we worship fires Tear the soil apart and feed me the dirt We are dust in the wind Propelled by the original sin I die with my kin Pull my teeth Peel my skin The thread is wearing scarily thin We're dying We're dying

about

Oberst now sets the stage for their upcoming album, "Toil," set to release April 26th 2024. The album is a culmination of three years of dedicated effort, and it promises to deliver a fresh and exciting sound that transcends the boundaries of traditional rock and metal.

About the upcoming album the band states:

"Making this album, we raged and delved into the sorry state of the human condition, as seen from within and as an observer. This album is our opus to the very toil of living. The album may not have been catharsis for us, but we hope it can be of some solace and enjoyment to those inclined."

credits

released April 26, 2024

Credits:
Johan Fredrik Strid Bolli: Drums and backing vocals
Joakim Karlsen: Bass and backing vocals
Dennis Estensen: Guitar
Tarjei Kristoffersen: Guitar and vocals

Featuring:
Maciek Ofstad: Additional vocals on “Mules on a Mountain”
Johannes Amble: Additional barritone guitar on “Toil”, and electronics on “Taxed and Brittle”
Nikoline Spjelkavik: Additional vocals on “Toil”

Produced by Oberst
Mixed and mastered by: Ruben Willem

Drums recorded by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studio Storsjøen
Guitars re-amped by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studio Storsjøen

Artwork: "Bats", by Mu Pan
Design/Layout: Marve Svenningsen
Photos: Magnus Nordstrand

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about

Oberst Oslo, Norway

Their huge, warm and atmospheric riffs meet hectic, catchy elements driven by intense and at times manic vocals. originally formed around the mutual interest in music rather than any particular genre. the band later found common ground in bands like Mastodon, Baroness, Converge and Cult of Luna. However, influences that are unique to each of the members has become just as defining. ... more

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