Milk and chocolate syrup, Calvin and Hobbes, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, chicken and waffles, Prog and Death Metal - - some combinations just seem intuitively right. Obscura blend Prog and Death on the frappe setting, with portions of 201-level philosophy in the mix. Their 2016 album, "Akroasis," is an admirable technical display. Linus Klausenitzer (bass) and Rafael Trujillo (guitars) play with a caliber of enthusiasm and finesse rarely heard on studio recordings. They show a passion for each measure that simply can't be taught, and to his credit, Steffen Kummerer is founder, frontman, and guitarist.

First song, ‘Sermon of the Seven Suns’, begins as an exercise in death metal, but moves into a jazzy solo section where the bass and leads come alive. This wizardry is on display throughout the entire album. There are frequent stumbles into generic death, but the music is always eventually pulled up by the virtuosity and exuberance of the players. Final track, ‘Weltseele’ is a fascinating journey, with a number of turns and mood changes and volume variances along the way. The true drag down of the experience ends up being the vocals. Kummerer has a few death metal voices, but all of them are off-putting. That's a common complaint about this genre, but not always fair. I can name plenty of great death growlers and raspers. It may just be a matter of taste for me, but the vocals here diminish the experience greatly. Listen for yourself; if the vocal tones aren't an impediment for you, then this could be a very rewarding listen. There's a lot to admire here.

I'll definitely keep the "Akroasis" album files and occasionally feed them through the playlists, but future listens will be for the virtuoso instrumentation. It's a joy listening to these musicians play together.