Obscura accused of stealing riffs again

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Accused Obscura

Christian Münzner, a former guitarist of the progressive metal band Obscura, has accused the band’s frontman Steffen Kummerer of using his material without permission on their upcoming album “A Sonication.”

Münzner stated in a recent post, “I just heard more of the new Obscura. There are riffs I had written and was guaranteed would not be used, and they are being used 1:1, note for note, stolen, copied, as well as entire song structures.”

He went on to say, “If Nuclear Blast releases this, they are thieves as well. I will not let this slide and explore every legal avenue.

There are limits to how much we should tolerate.”

Münzner’s accusations come after similar claims made by other former Obscura members Max Phelps and Alex Weber. All three individuals stated that they either explicitly told Kummerer the music they had written was not to be used for any future release or had received assurances as such. However, upon hearing the new record, Münzner and his contemporaries were each surprised to hear their music in the final product.

“These songs were intended for a solo EP I was planning to do after the Obscura split; now I cannot do this anymore.

Accusations over creative control disputes

This cannot go on.

Especially if we ‘agree to disagree’ because of creative differences and then you use other people’s work after you say we are not on the same page musically?” Münzner added. The accusations are particularly hard to square. If the members were let go because of creative differences, then why would Kummerer decide to use their music?

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Nuclear Blast, the record label set to release “A Sonication,” has not yet responded to requests for comment on the plagiarism allegations. The situation seems like a potential nightmare for a label that has already committed time, money, and resources to promoting the new album. At the very least, it sounds like a legal dispute may be on the horizon.

The controversy surrounding the album continues to escalate, casting a shadow over its impending release and raising significant questions about the creative practices within Obscura.

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