Valentin The Mad, a solo artist from Haifa, Israel, has released the prog Metal instrumental track Deadly Obsession featuring drums programmed by Ryan Van Poederooyen and a video filmed by MenahemD.
Valentin The Mad – Deadly Obsession
Words: Jools Green
“Deadly Obsession can take the theme of just about any obsession,” Valentin told MetalTalk. “A guy sees a girl that really caught his interest, in a very exceptional way. But, he has no guts to approach her. Over time his feelings build up more and more, all the while the girl has no idea about any of it. At some point, the girl starts dating someone, the ‘protagonist’ finds out, which is the point where he goes insane, and it ends tragically.”
Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of instrumentals. I tend to prefer some vocals, however indecipherable they are, to give some inclination through at least the delivery intonation and the concept behind the work. Deadly Obsession is certainly a concept piece.
I’m not a fan of programmed drums either. I prefer the tactile sound of a person behind the kit.
However, Valentin The Mad is such a superb guitarist this actually, in those aforementioned aspects, acts in his favour. There is nothing to detract or distract from his playing or to attempt to upstage him. The bass rhythm and lead work do meld sublimely, a positive about being delivered by the same hands. The mid-point leadwork is uplifting and glorious, the zenith of the obsession. You do have to know the plot in advance, that of a loss of sanity due to an obsession bringing about a fatal demise.
But, once knowing that you will notice the build into a frantic obsession, that previously mentioned zenith where everything seems triumphant and then the decline into a very bleak mood with the change in the guitarwork to a more bleakly reflective one, as the obsessed person loses his mind and takes fatal action.
I hugely admire the fact that he has been thinking about this piece and how he could improve upon it for around eight years since he released the original demo.
He’s come a long way in terms of perfecting the delivery and ensuring the production has had its game upped to match also, an obsession?
Maybe….. Deadly? Thankfully not.
With a recent track from Valentin The Mad incorporating auto-tuned boars that appear as vocalists on the track Boar Metal, the world needs this quirky talent.
