ALBUM REVIEW: Solar Spectre – Omega Infinity

Space. The great beyond. The vast emptiness. A void so immensely enormous it goes beyond the capabilities of human understanding. It’s truly quite terrifying when you sit down and think about the sheer scope of the universe and the vast emptiness amongst the stars, and as such, makes for a phenomenal concept to explore across metal’s most extreme genres. This unimaginable blackness lies at the centre of OMEGA INFINITY‘s musical universe and their debut voyage, Solar Spectre.

Whilst space and the exploration of the cosmos is nothing new in metal’s ever-expanding lyricisms, for OMEGA INFINITY, rather than focus on the grandeur of the universe, the duo of TODTGELICHTER‘s Tentakel P. and NE OBIVISCARIS‘ Xen dive into the engulfing blackness of the void of space and it makes for the perfect concept, especially given the track list reflects our immediate solar system, to capture their cacophonous black metal soundscape.

After the haunting atmospheric instrumental of Uranus, OMEGA INFINITY unleash the full might of the cosmos on Mars as aural hellfire is unleashed through a blistering execution of blastbeats, trademark black metal riffing and pained screams from Xen. Reflecting the barren and isolation of the red planet, the music swirls from unrelenting chaos to passages that allow the band to enforce their atmosphere as muted riffing, solitary pounds of the drums and occasional whispers of spoken word allow a slight moment of recovery before you’re plunged headfirst into the chaos once more. It’s a massive statement of intent and demonstrates the quality at the duo’s disposal.

On a musical sense, it would be unfair to disregard OMEGA INFINITY as yet another band exploring the tapestry of black metal; the duo display enough experimentation and outside-the-box thinking to their sonics to transcend being labelled to one genre tag. Sure, black metal plays a hugely important cog in the band’s machine as the tremolo riff and blastbeat assault on Venus acts as the perfect musical metaphor to the sulphuric acid-laced atmosphere of the planet and the sheer explosive power of our sun is captured perfectly on Sol as the band dispatch wave after wave of unrelenting musical carnage as the riffs twist and contort in harrowing harmony to Xen‘s wretched screams. It’s moments like these that showcase that the band’s intent to explore the darkest reaches of the cosmos is a match made in heaven to the music in which they have created.

But, it is the way in which OMEGA INFINITY experiment across a nuance of various sounds and moods that makes Solar Spectre such a phenomenal and intoxicating listen. Venus incorporates synth effects sporadically throughout the song’s duration that hits the nail on the head for the album’s overarching concept whilst Jupiter‘s clever pacing from a funeral crawl to swirling musical maelstrom that resembles the planet’s Great Red Spot is sheer brilliance. Similarly, given OMEGA INFINITY‘s mission statement, you’d be forgiven for anticipating that Solar Spectre is devoid of any light, but the duo’s slight brushes of colour, light, and perhaps even, hope in a sea of darkness proves to be a masterstroke. Neptune‘s blissful ambience and ethereal female vocals perfectly resemble the distant gas giant and Saturn displays a wide array of varying sounds as sci-fi-esque synths counter the cacophonous metallic noise to display the song as a more vibrant listening affair.

With Solar Spectre, OMEGA INFINITY have looked beyond our atmosphere and the void lies in wait. This is no celebration of our existence, our place in the stars or the sheer wonder of what lies beyond Earth. With a visceral black metal base acting as the bedrock to their sound alongside ingenious experimentation that embraces moments of vibrancy, Solar Spectre serves a reminder that the great beyond is full of terror, unpredictability and darkness. If one enters the void, there is no coming back.

Rating: 9/10

Solar Spectre is out now via Season of Mist.

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