ALBUM REVIEW: Angel Or Alien – Born Of Osiris
Angel Or Alien is a necessary, swift left turn for BORN OF OSIRIS. They’ve been progressive metal standouts for over a decade, but something about their make up started to become predictable. Such is the strength of the band’s back catalogue – that may never have evolved into a problem. But with a visionary the likes of Lee McKinnon in the quintet’s arsenal, it would have been criminal to not stretch the boundaries of their sound.
That’s not to suggest Angel Or Alien brings with it entirely wholesale change though. The Chicago natives’ technical battery is still a prominent theme. Echobreather and Waves deliver the patented BORN OF OSIRIS sandstorm of double timed riffs, sumptuous guitar lines, and sneering vocals. In For The Kill might even feature the most violent tonality the band have spat out since 2013’s Tomorrow We Die Alive.
What makes this record an entirely new beast is its flirtations with symphony, and anthem. At no point previously would it have been conceivable that BORN OF OSIRIS could weld sax to their scholar-like metalcore, but Poster Child demands your approval. Its symphonic thrust takes centre stage, but the instrumental outro opens the record up to a laundry list of possibilities.
Those prospects are fully explored on epic closer Shadowmourne. There’s no other way to dress it: it’s the most purposefully melodious the band have ever been, yet it sacrifices zero artistic integrity. Vocalists Ronnie Canizaro and Joe Buras balance against the tender backdrop like they’ve spent their entire career doing so. And the way BORN OF OSIRIS have manipulated their attack to surround the saxophone fronted instrumentals is nothing short of stellar craftmanship.
The exploration of mans duality is Angel Or Alien‘s recurring, fascinating theme. Truth And Denial takes both a brutal and cynical approach while picking apart the depths humanity will go to deceive. Threat Of Your Presence on the other hand discusses the damage negative energy can do to us, sometimes even without our knowledge. Admittedly the character, and proficiency of the record often reaches such a level that the narrative loses gravity; that only makes it more forceful when the instrumentation and lyrical message coalesce though.
A record that showcases the best of BORN OF OSIRIS as well highlighting their dexterity: Angel Or Alien is the band’s most impressive work in some time. Modern metalcore aficionados will of course be dazzled by the album’s rhythmic punch. More than that though, Angel Or Alien takes a band that have seemed set in their classic ways, and shows us the barriers we thought they live within, don’t actually exist.
Rating: 8/10
Angel Or Alien is set for release on July 2nd via Sumerian Records.
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