ALBUM REVIEW: Kairos – Osiah
Northern deathcore powerhouse OSIAH have continued to progress and evolve into one of the most exciting metal acts the UK has to offer. 2021’s Loss proved to be an absolute monster and the freshly released Kairos which is available now via Unique Leader Records picks up where they left off.
A Great Nothing is packed with punchy, groove-ridden hooks, blistering drum sequences, and sheer guttural ferocity. When combined these elements yield a crushing level of rhythmic destruction. White Feather is equally remorseless, tackling the concept of mortality in the form of rapid but incredibly honest lyrical bursts. Malice sustains the punishing assault with razor-sharp riffing dictating the frenzied pacing closely followed by unrelenting waves of drum-related savagery.
Disillusion chops and changes in jarring fashion to keep you on your toes. Demonic dissonance lures you to your doom, boring a hole straight through anything it comes into contact with. The Inherited Sorrow comes surging forth like an explosion from the depths of hell, engulfing everything in a sea of flames then proceeding to stomp whatever remains into nothing but dust. The lyrical delivery of Kardashev Denied is a thing of beauty, meticulously weaving powerful prose around the unhinged instrumental chaos.
Guardian opts for a more haunting, tentative approach, at least for the introductory sequence before you’re greeted with a scream so merciless it will tear the flesh clean from your bones. Memento Mori is enough to make your blood curdle in terror with its caustic, harrowing heaviness. Barbaric riffing and further flourishes of incendiary drumming leave you in a state of disarray. Elder King puts the band’s guitarists through their paces with a slew of maniacal fret acrobatics. Deathcore at its finest.
The Golden Throne injects enticing melodies directly into your bloodstream leaving you powerless to their devilish charms. Seeds Of Despair returns to the discordant pummelling, systemically dismantling your senses in the most unforgiving fashion. Hues Refract is an intense listen for a completely different reason, emotive tones and clean, vulnerable vocal swathes leave you in a state of awe. An unexpected but welcome culmination to this journey.
Christmas has come early! Kairos is masterfully executed, keeping you firmly gripped throughout every moment of its exhilarating runtime. With a deluge of bands aiming to be ‘the heaviest’ or ‘the most technical’, OSIAH methodically go about their own business, crafting fresh, exciting, ridiculously infectious material that demands to be played loud enough to shake the foundations. These tracks will certainly suit them well in conjunction with their already devastating arsenal when they next hit the road.
Rating: 9/10
Kairos is out now via Unique Leader Records.
Like OSIAH on Facebook.