Review: The Reticent – The Oubliette

Style: progressive metal, death metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Andrew
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Iapetus, Woods of Ypres
Country: United States
Release date: September 25, 2020

If you’re reading this, chances are you know somebody or have known somebody who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Affecting 6% of people aged 65 or older, Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that slowly increases in severity as it progresses. To watch the progression of Alzheimer’s is to watch a person slowly wither away into a husk of their former self. Chris Hathcock, the mastermind behind progressive metal project The Reticent, knows this experience all too well. Having witnessed the terror that is Alzheimer’s, Hathcock set out to create a musical journey into the disease to provide a unique perspective on its horrors. 

Hathcock is no stranger to immensely emotional music. The Reticent’s 2016 album On the Eve of a Goodbye tragically illustrates the moments leading up to the suicide of Eve, Hathcock’s childhood best friend. As the album progresses, it gets closer to the final moment until it climatically explodes with the devastating “Funeral for a Firefly”, which remains one of the most powerful, emotionally moving songs I’ve ever heard. 

Hathcock has once again created an emotional powerhouse: The Oubliette, split up into seven tracks to mirror the seven stages of the progression of Alzheimer’s, is a heartbreaking tour de force. The listener is introduced to Henry, who has been committed to a hospital due to his rapidly progressing dementia. Henry is blissfully unaware of his condition as he sits in the hospital room. Hathcock’s lyrical mastery is at play from beginning to end here. Henry’s thoughts and emotions as he endures this journey are spelled out in a harrowing way, especially through brief flashes of lucidity. 

Beyond just the lyricism, Hathcock’s songwriting prowess is on full display here, meshing the instrumentation masterfully with the lyrics. Although the music is Opethian prog metal at its core, there are a wide array of styles on display, from metal to jazz to prog rock; as Henry’s outlook on his situation changes, the music changes along with it. Light, airy sections with minimal instrumentation signify periods of hope. Sudden harsh vocals and heavy, distorted guitars and fast drumming signify a downturn; a loss of hope. Henry has vague memories of his late wife, Mary; he thinks she is still alive and longs to see her again – this is represented by a jazzy rhythm and soft, slow vocal melodies. The juxtaposition of vastly different musical styles is a perfect representation of the emotional turmoil forced upon Alzheimer’s patients by the disease. It is an unrelenting nightmare. 

Like its predecessor, the penultimate track contains the emotional peak of the album. “Stage 6: The Oubliette” is a devastating look into the final stage of the disease. An oubliette is a dungeon with only one access point in the high ceiling. Henry is the oubliette, and the exit is death. Alzheimer’s is a terminal disease with no known cure so it is only a matter of time. “Stage 6” brought me to tears the first time I heard Hathcock’s desperate pleas for death. Then, Henry’s story comes to a close in “Stage 7” as he finally succumbs to the disease.

Aside from session musicians, The Reticent is a solo project, with Hathcock performing vocals and all instruments. Produced by Jamie King, The Oubliette sounds as excellent as any high-budget album, with great separation of instruments and excellent dynamics. Having great production is especially important for an album with musical style as frenetic and diverse as this, as it lets every moment shine, from the lightest, most somber moments to the heaviest and harshest. There is occasional narration between tracks which is meant to provide exposition for Henry’s condition but instead feels more jarring and removes some of the immersion. There is enough context throughout the music itself that this narration seems entirely unnecessary. However, it appears in such brief moments throughout the album that it doesn’t really affect my enjoyment of the rest.

A uniquely harrowing look into a common degenerative disease, The Oubliette takes the listener down a musical journey into the mind of someone suffering from the disease. The Reticent has yet again created an emotional masterpiece, guaranteed to invoke pity or sadness as it increases awareness of Alzheimer’s. If you are one of the countless people that have been personally affected by the disease, you are not alone and Chris Hathcock wants to make sure you know that. 

Recommended tracks: Stage 2: The Captive, Stage 5: The Nightmare, Stage 6: The Oubliette
You may also like: An Isolated Mind, Loneshore, Iapetus
Final verdict: 9.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

The Reticent is:
– Chris Hathcock (Vocals, all instruments)
– Jamie King (Production, mixing, mastering)