Ne Obliviscaris formed in Melbourne in 2003 and play what Wikipedia files as progressive metal and extreme metal, with a violin as a permanent part of the line-up. The band uses both harsh and clean vocals, many of its songs run past ten minutes, and several are built as multi-part suites. This guide follows Ne Obliviscaris from a 2007 demo to four studio albums and a string of world tours.

The short version

The band started in Melbourne in April 2003; the name is Latin for forget not. Tim Charles, who plays violin and sings the clean vocals, joined that September, and the harsh vocals belonged for 22 years to Marc Campbell, known as Xenoyr. After the 2007 demo “The Aurora Veil”, the debut “Portal of I” came out on Code666 in 2012. The band then moved to Season of Mist for “Citadel” (2014), “Urn” (2017) and “Exul” (2023). Xenoyr announced his departure in January 2025, and James Dorton, who had already filled in on stage, took over the harsh vocals.

Melbourne, 2003: a violin in extreme metal

Wikipedia credits Xenoyr and bassist Adam Cooper with founding the group as a four-piece in April 2003, with Tim Charles arriving in September. The name Ne Obliviscaris is the Latin motto of Clan Campbell, and the debut album would later carry a song called “Forget Not”. Guitarist Matt Klavins joined in 2004; Wikipedia also lists flamenco among the band’s influences. In AllMusic’s biography, Thom Jurek describes a mix of extreme and melodic metal with classical music, jazz and avant-garde improvisation.

The demo “The Aurora Veil” appeared in 2007, and three of its songs were later reworked for the first album. Guitarist Benjamin Baret joined in 2008. “Portal of I” was finally released on 7 May 2012 through Code666: seven long tracks, credited on Discogs to Charles on violin and clean vocals, Xenoyr on harsh vocals, Baret on lead guitar, Klavins on guitar, Brendan Brown on bass and Dan Presland on drums. Wikipedia records positive reviews, among them a 9.5 out of 10 from Metal Injection, and notes that “And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope” was analysed in a composition course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Season of Mist, crowdfunding and the world stage

The band signed to Season of Mist in 2013, according to AllMusic. In June 2014 a crowdfunding campaign for a world tour reached its target of 40,000 Australian dollars in two days and closed at 86,132, which Wikipedia describes as an Australian crowdfunding record. “Citadel” followed on 7 November 2014: three pieces in six tracks, opening with the three-part suite “Painters of the Tempest”, with guest cello and additional violin. The tour that followed brought the band’s first visits to Europe, the UK and North America, partly as support to Cradle of Filth, and their first show in India.

In March 2016 the band launched a subscription page on Patreon, and its contributors received “Urn” a few days before its release on 27 October 2017. It closes with the two-part title track. Reviewing it for AllMusic, James Christopher Monger hears a “lethal blend of blastbeats and soaring melodies” and singles out the violin playing. “Exul”, first planned for 2020, was pushed back by the pandemic lockdowns and arrived on 24 March 2023. It entered the UK Official Independent Album Breakers Chart at No. 10.

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Album by album

Four studio albums, from “Portal of I” (2012) to “Exul” (2023); the two 2015 EPs of re-recorded early songs, “Sarabande to Nihil” and “Hiraeth”, are not in the grid. Tap any title for its guide.

The players

Tim Charles has played violin in Ne Obliviscaris since 2003. He sings the clean vocals from 2004 onward, and on “Exul” he is also credited with viola. Matt Klavins (since 2004) and Benjamin Baret (since 2008) are the two guitarists on every album. Brendan Brown played bass from 2004 until January 2017; Robin Zielhorst, formerly of Cynic, recorded the bass on “Urn” as a session player, and Martino Garattoni joined in 2017 and plays on “Exul”.

The drum chair has changed more often. Dan Presland joined in 2005, left early in 2010 after recording his parts for the debut, and returned in 2012 after a short spell with Nelson Barnes. He left again after recording “Exul”, in 2022 according to AllMusic. Kevin Paradis played drums from 2023 to 2024, and Presland came back in 2024. Xenoyr, a founder and the band’s lyricist on every album, announced his departure on 28 January 2025 after 22 years. James Dorton, a live stand-in since 2023, is now the harsh vocalist.

Where to start

Start with “Citadel” (2014), the first Season of Mist album and the one built most clearly around long suites: “Painters of the Tempest” fills more than 23 minutes on its own. Metal Hammer, as cited on Wikipedia, gave it four out of five. Then go to “Exul” (2023), the most recent album and the last with Xenoyr, which Sputnikmusic rated 4.8 out of 5 according to Wikipedia.

To hear where the style was first laid down, go back to “Portal of I” (2012), the debut that collected the reworked demo songs. “Urn” (2017) sits between the two: Ultimate Guitar, as reported by Wikipedia, gave it 9 out of 10 and pointed to a somewhat more compact approach, while Metal Injection’s score was 6.5.

Why they matter

Ne Obliviscaris matter to modern progressive metal because a violin sits in the front line of an extreme metal band: AllMusic’s Monger singles out the violin work on “Urn”, and Jurek’s biography ties the band’s sound to classical music, jazz and avant-garde improvisation as well as metal. They also show a different way of building an audience: a crowdfunding campaign for a world tour set an Australian record, that tour brought their first visits to Europe and North America, and a Patreon subscription followed in 2016. “Intra Venus”, from “Urn”, won an Independent Music Award for Best Metal/Hardcore Song, according to Wikipedia.

I follow the modern progressive scene, and the bands that pushed it this far into extreme metal, in my book Beyond the Decades.

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