ALBUM REVIEW: Ouroboros – Earth Messiah

Music fans the world over are familiar with the melodic death metal style of metal that comes out of the Swedish city of Gothenburg. One band that are taking a different stylistic approach is EARTH MESSIAH, who instead draw their influences from other sub genres such as stoner rock and doom metal. Since their formation in 2017 from the remains of other local bands EARTH MESSIAH have set about making a name for themselves in their home country of Sweden with the psychedelic influenced stoner rock sound. Now, with the backing of their new label Argonauta Records the band present their debut full length album Ouroboros.

Ouroboros opens with the impressive instrumental title track, which builds gradually, giving guitarist/front man Mathias Helgesson a chance to show off his impressive lead guitar playing over the top of the solid rhythm section laid down by bassist Marcus Hedkvist and drummer Patrik Orrmen. The song is a wonderful introduction to the album and gives the listener a taste of the type of creativity that flows through the very bones of this musical outfit with its layers of atmospheric guitar lines and dreamy atmosphere.

The following track Escape From Reality is a completely different beast and shows EARTH MESSIAH channelling their inner HIGH ON FIRE. The riffs are colossal and are drenched in a dirty, distorted tone that is complimented wonderfully by the dense, rumbling bass parts and the thunderous drumming. The track has a real rock and roll swagger and throws back to the kind of energy that MOTÖRHEAD were serving up in their prime with Helgesson’s gravel toned vocals being delivered with the perfect balance of melody and snarling aggression. Another track that continues in the same dirty rock and roll vein is Trouble Child which is once again sounds like something that could have been pieced together from the cutting room floor of a MOTÖRHEAD recording session. This is not to say that the band are deliberately ripping off songs from the legendary band, rather that they are tipping their collective caps to them.

I Am is one of the highlights of Ouroboros. The riffs in the opening section of the song have a southern metal feel to them and will undoubtedly provide plenty of unified headbanging moments when the boys take this album out on the road. The interlude in the middle of the song shows the band completely changing the script and gives Helgesson the platform to deliver a superb guitar solo that makes you wonder why EARTH MESSIAH don’t utilise this more often in their other songs.

The groove in the track Always Remember is undeniable. The song drips in attitude and confidence, pushing forward with the kind of swagger that is simply breath-taking. Once again the prominent presence of bass guitar and drums link up perfectly for the foundation and compliment the guitar riffs perfectly. The vocals are melodic and are chocked full of catchy hooks with Helgesson putting in arguably his best performance on the album. There is also the inclusion of a well written guitar solo that is caked in wah and delivered once again with real flair and attitude.

Ouroboros is a solid debut effort for EARTH MESSIAH to build on. The quality is certainly there and there is plenty of depth and dexterity to the release. The only issue is that the album feels very short, with only nine tracks clocking in at just over thirty-five minutes in total. There is an argument to say that it is more about the quality of the product, but when the album is still mid gallop and ends abruptly it can be rather frustrating for the listener. A decent first effort from a band that shows a lot of promise.

Rating: 7/10

Ouroboros is out now via Argonauta Records. 

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