OBSIDIAN

OBSIDIAN is an extreme heavy metal project born in the Midwest in 1997 by guitarist and songwriter Barney Haugen. With crushing riffs and industrial fire, OBSIDIAN carved a name in the underground through unrelenting live shows and uncompromising records. Their debut Human Distortion (2001) introduced the raw aggression, while Live & Unleashed (2003) captured the chaos of the stage. In 2006, OBSIDIAN won the Q98 FM Rock Roots Battle of the Bands, earning the opening slot for Powerman 5000 in Fargo. Two years later, Through It All (2008) closed the band era, marking the end of more than a decade of heavy dominance.

But the story didn’t stop there. In 2017, Barney dedicated his life to Jesus Christ, reshaping the vision of OBSIDIAN from pure destruction toward redemption and purpose. Though the band had ended, the music still burned within. In 2025, longtime vocalist Tony Haugen helped reignite that fire, inspiring Barney to carry the name forward as a solo project.

Today, OBSIDIAN stands as both a legacy and a rebirth—music forged in darkness, refined by faith, and delivered with conviction. The sound remains extreme and industrial, yet now carries a deeper truth: that even in the heaviest noise, there can be light. Stream the latest tracks and witness the rebirth of OBSIDIAN.