ALBUM REVIEW: Close – OHHMS

OHHMS are a bit of a special band. Their progressive doom base is bolstered by a deep running punk rock spirit and it results in some of the most interesting and compelling music you can find. With a history of writing some of the most impressively epic songs, OHHMS have always been able to keep their music pulsing with energy that erupts beautifully from front man Paul Waller, both in his on stage antics but also in his gravelly and unique voice that carries so much power and emotion. On their previous album, his performance on Subjects and Firearms was show stealing, and his lyrics eye opening. What we’re trying to get across is that there are few bands currently writing music as interesting as OHHMS currently. 

Close is the latest release from the group, and it feels a tad different to their back catalogue. There is a sense of urgency about Close that nothing prior to this in the band’s history has quite had. With Alive kicking the album off with a grungy bang, the song builds and builds before a climatic finale, OHHMS kick their next chapter off with as big a bang as they can. The shorter songs still feel expansive though, and this helps keep the album moving along at such well managed pace. 

Revenge takes the slot as the longest track on the list, and clocking in at just shy of 10 minutes it possesses everything we’ve come to know from OHHMS this far into their career. With huge, cavernous drums, the music swells and builds over the top, eventually opening up into massive walls of stoner rock noise. It’s a fantastic journey to take, and shows OHHMS in their best form, even if there is a want for the songs to maybe nudge a few more minutes of music into them. Especially from Asylum, a track that feels criminally short for the explosive damage it does in its run time.

There is something to be sad about ((Flaming Youth)) and ((Strange Ways)) and how out of place they feel in the grand scheme of the album. The dreamy sequences would feel more at home interluding some of the more epicly long songs the band have done, or even spread better throughout the album rather than having them after the first two songs. They feel more like seeds of ideas than fully fledged tracks, and with Asylum proving that 90 seconds is more than enough time to make a bang, it makes these tracks feel slightly redundant in hindsight. 

 The lyrical themes that run throughout Close are different to what we’re used to from OHHMS but are no less impactful in their content. Taking the view away from topics such as animal cruelty, the failure of the free press, and veganism and instead shining the light deep inside and on the consequences of abuse, OHHMS take on a wholly more human light. There has always been a real charm to the way messages are translated within OHHMS songs, thanks to the personality of everyone within the band and Paul’s great wordsmithing. The final track Unplugged is riddled with moments of clear view directly into the heart of Paul and the backing track provides the power to hammer the message home with ease. 

Close is excellent, and that shouldn’t be a surprising thing. With a varied history of unique songs and a sound that few can compete with, OHHMS have come into their own over the past few years, with Exist revealing just how good they truly are and now Close capitalising upon that with fervor. Taking a different approach to their songs but still retaining everything that made them so special, OHHMS have taken another step forward towards the forefront of the musical scene. Despite all of this, the album does seem to need a bit of tweaking in how the band put all their ideas together into smaller, bite sized chunks. And how the band segue between their dreamier sounds found on the interlude tracks and their eye catching and enjoyable doom sensibilities. But this isn’t so much a gripe as it is an excitement for where they go next. If the formula continues to improve, then the future remains blindingly bright for OHHMS. 

Rating: 8/10

Close is out now via Holy Roar Records.

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