Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

Melodic death metal has been a whipping boy in metal for several years now as it seemed to attract more copycats and trend-jumpers in a quicker period of time than most other genres, mostly thanks to the Gothenburg crowd which ultimately became synonymous with the term.  It arguably, however, didn’t start there and certainly wasn’t perfected there either.  Finland knows a thing or two about making things melodic and one of the jewels of this genre is the debut album from Omnium Gatherum, Spirits and August Light, which broke the Gothenburg mold and smashed it against the wall.  They went downhill shortly after that, succumbing to the rather by-the-numbers blueprint their neighbors to the west popularized, but anyone who had heard that first album knew not to give up on Omnium Gatherum.  There is just too much talent in these guys to stagnate forever and New World Shadows is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.

Right from the start, New World Shadows opens with a nine-plus minute epic full of lushly intricate melodies that does not bore for even second.  When the song was over for the first time, I knew this was going to be different.  The way “Everfields” comes to a close sends shivers up my spine every time I listen to it as it’s such an excellent precursor of things to come.  It’s always a very bold move for a band not known for writing such long songs to not only attempt it but to make it the very first track on the album.  Omnium Gatherum is making a statement in doing that.  “Ego,” while a much more standard take on melodic death, is a great contrast to the lengthy “Everfields” and is very catchy.  The title track, “New World Shadows,” is probably the highlight of the album.  Some clean vocals are added near the end courtesy of Dan Swano which really adds to the emotional nature of the song.  There are a few more instances where clean vocals are present, but more in a quiet and sometimes whispered way and not like they are on “New World Shadows” which makes the track unique on the album and has it stand alone.  “Soul Journeys” is another track full of richly intricate melody and is probably the “single” from the album as they made an official video for it.

The musicianship is of the highest quality as these guys write one ornate riff after another to create one of the most elegant melodic death metal albums ever which is still fierce and demanding of your attention.  I had to listen to this album several times before I was able to convince myself that yes, it really is this good.  I always knew they could recapture that magic from the debut, but like with most things in life that you’ve been waiting on for what seems like forever, when you do finally get it, it takes some time for your eyes to come back into focus and fully understand that it has arrived.

Release Date: March 1st, 2011
Label: Lifeforce Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Everfields
2.  Ego
3.  New World Shadows
4.  Soul Journeys
5.  Nova Flame
6.  An Infinite Mind
7.  Watcher Of The Skies
8.  The Distance
9.  Deep Cold

Total playing time:  51:56

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Jesse

January 22, 2011