Yes, more Omnium Gatherum. As of today, the Finnish
melodic masters have released an official video for a track off their upcoming
album, Beyond, via Lifeforce Records.
The video itself is little more than a display of the generic themes associated
within melodic death metal videos: broody nature shots cut up with close-ups of
the band performing in a relatively dark place.
Yet what may be lacked somewhat in video originality
is more than made up for by the accompanying song. Complementing the dramatic
shots of a picturesque coastline (presumably a play on Beyond’s artwork) the song begins with a gloomy, melancholy acoustic
passage which quickly kicks into a swinging, almost waltz-like pre-verse and
verse where the meaty riffs and elegant melodies perfectly slide in and out of
each other whilst Jukka Pelkonen’s vocals
complement everything perfectly.
The song becomes a
progressive masterpiece, garnished with an inevitable, but more-than-welcome
Markus Vanhala solo, where he more than lives up to expectations, navigating
the guitar with brilliant slides and tapping.
The progressive masterwork
that is so prominent in Omnium Gatherum’s recent work is just as evident here
and is applied so brilliantly. Everything lasts as long as it should, no riff
is overused and painfully recycled, and no whiney melody is constantly thrown
at the listener. Perhaps the only
criticism of the song could be the subdued feeling that is established at the
beginning of the song doesn’t ever quite go away. The song, although
brilliantly powerful at points, sometimes feels a little thin between sections;
perhaps this isn’t a bad thing, though, as it could provide a gentler part for
the climatic points to springboard from.
But that’s nothing in the grand
scheme of things. The song is another wonderfully crafted Omnium Gatherum masterpiece
and leaves anyone it touches hungry for more. It’s a good job the album is
released on February the 25th.
