Omen
There's a lot of deathcore that is easy to shrug off as an uninspired copy of the last few breakout albums. You know the kind; nothing but chugging and gutturals with the same two note breakdowns sprinkled in for taste, even if it is a very bad taste. Very few deathcore releases in the last few years or so have really stuck out to me, and this is coming from an avid deathcore listener. However, among the sea of garbage are a few releases that really peak my interest, including my recently reviewed The Wretched Sounds by Nott and the album I am covering today, Bog Wraith's Omen.
This Michigan based blackened deathcore outfit has been creating raw, black metal influenced deathcore since 2016, and that includes their 2018 release, Omen. Being one of the most well received albums of the year so far, Omen is doing a lot of things right. Between the rawness of the production, variation of the riffing and intensity of the vocals, Omen lines itself up as a premiere deathcore album. While their two prior EPs, Viscera and Mire were both known for this same style, Omen kicks it up a notch in every aspect.
For one, the guitars in this album are absolutely vicious. Between the raw production and the varied riffing, you get guitar work that comes off as very skilled and not the same chugging that you get in just about every other release. Between that, the brilliant songwriting and the simple, wicked solos, Omen already presents itself as not your average deathcore album, showing a slight blackened element in some of the speedier sections while maintaining a raw heaviness that catapults it above all other albums in the same vein of metal. There's something about how well these guitars pair up with the drums and vocals that really makes them so damn special.
Speaking of the drums, they're mixed very well, with the bass drum being very prominent and setting the tone of the album by pounding out a very steady rhythm that you can feel in your chest. The fairly clean production on the drums contrasts the rawness of the guitar, yet it also adds a layer of depth by not allowing it to blend too much with the guitars and putting them on another level. It's a touch that's hard to pick out at first listen, but when you do, it makes the album that much better and that much more fun to listen to.
The vocals on Omen are really where the album shines, however. The vocalist has some of the nastier lows in all of deathcore, with a naturally visceral and guttural sound that not many other frontmen can replicate, especially not so easily. While they're not the absolute best, the vocalist makes up for it with screeching, tunneled highs that I have not heard on any other vocalist. Not to mention the fact that there is little to no editing on the vocals, as they sound very natural and have an intensity to them that fades with overediting. All in all, the screams really make this album as good as it is, even with the great songwriting and powerful production.
Final Score: 97/100
Bandcamp
No comments:
Post a Comment