December 22, 2020

Sweet Oblivion to Release Sophomore Album in 2021

By Brian Heaton

Sweet Oblivion, the progressive hard rock and metal project of Italian guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), will release its second album next year on Frontiers Records. Mularoni will once again team up with former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate, in what is sure to be one of the most anticipated records of 2021.

The group's self-titled 2019 album was widely praised by fans and critics, featuring a sound that harkened back to Queensryche's prime. A follow-up record is surprising however, given the difficulties Mularoni had with Tate during their first collaboration, which the guitarist discussed in July 2019 with Aardschock Magazine.

Mularoni told Aardschock (as covered by All That Shreds Magazine) that when he sent the initial Sweet Oblivion songs to Tate, the vocalist was happy with the music and rough vocal melodies. But when Mularoni got the first two tracks back from Tate, the guitar solos were deleted and the melodies “were a closer resemblance to hip hop rather than metal.” After conversations between Tate, his manager, Mularoni and the label, the vocals were eventually recorded in the style Mularoni envisioned. But the guitarist wasn't happy with the process.

“Geoff had recorded his vocals on the tour bus,” Mularoni said at the time. “Who records vocals on a tour bus? I struggled for a month just to make it all sound a bit better. Ultimately, the album turned out okay, but If we had done it my way…”

It appears, however, that the tension between Tate and Mularoni has been smoothed over. After a December 16 Facebook post announcing the new Sweet Oblivion album, a December 22 teaser video on YouTube followed (you can see the above image at the 30-second mark). Then Mularoni (or a representative on behalf of Sweet Oblivion) confirmed in a December 22 Facebook comment that Tate will be on vocals for the project's second album:

“Since there was a lot of speculation in the previous post about the new album regarding who would be involved, let us make 100% clear that Geoff Tate IS on the album. Anything you hear otherwise is completely untrue and inaccurate.”

No release date or further information on the new Sweet Oblivion record was given. AnybodyListening.net will cover those details once they are made public and review the album as it becomes available.