ALBUM REVIEW: The Offering – Borealis
Think BLIND GUARDIAN meets VISIGOTH jamming with EVERGREY. Having a hard time imaging such a thing? Maybe if you listen to the sounds of Canadian progressive metal outfit BOREALIS, it will help clear things up. They are set to release their fourth studio album titled The Offering, the title itself might be an understatement as to what this record beholds. It is a portfolio of majestic wonder and soaring phenomena.
The Offering is truly a remarkable piece of work that will leave the listener wanting more. It will be their fourth studio album but it premieres the band in a new light. It describes a story concept resulting from vocalist Matt Marinelli’s fascination with horror movies. It follows the story of the creation, rise and ultimate demise of a cult who practise human sacrifices, more specifically child sacrifices.
First impressions of this record? It creates a haunting atmosphere with it’s phenomenal guitarwork, soaring vocals, solid backing from the percussion and the emphasising melodies from the synthesisers. One thing all these tracks have in common is that they all deliver the same amount of passion and dominance, it’s something that can be felt as each song plays. You can hear it in the beautifully crafted musicianship that has come together to create this masterpiece. Even the slower tracks such as The Devil’s Hand and Scarlet Angel have that same amount of fire and supremacy. Each track has a poignant story to tell, here are a few that spring to mind.
The stripped-down introduction to The Devil’s Hand alone will ensure you forget about everything in that moment to take time to listen to this striking melody. The acoustic guitars, violins and the vocal work fusion together beautifully to create this stunning track that will help the listener stop and reflect. The transition to the grand guitars and solid drum work round off this majestic track makes it a more than notable track.
The soaring chorus, stately melodies and the remarkable guitar work in the track Scarlet Angel gives off a lot of EVERGREY vibes, that particular band are very well known for producing tracks on a grand scale that will help you forget your worries in that moment. You can hear this particularly in the vocal work against a grand melody that will stop you in your tracks for those few minutes. The guitar work is also poignant here; there are memorable riffs and solos that will catch you off guard.
Sign Of No Return has all the elements that make a great tune when melodic metal is concerned. It has emphasising melodies on the synthesisers, fantastic guitar work and a grand chorus that will be hard to forget anytime soon. The guitar riffs and solos will have you practising air guitar wherever you happen to be. The album ends on a golden note with the track The Ghosts Of Innocence, it’s the track that makes a grand finale to top the album off and it leaves you wanting more. It wouldn’t be right to say this track takes all the best elements from the album for this majestic climax as the whole album displayed this much power and passion.
It’s great to hear BOREALIS kept this supremacy, dominance and this high energy for the whole duration of the record. This album will be a diamond in every melodic metal fans collection and long-time fans of the band will be far from disappointed.
Rating: 9/10
The Offering is out now via AFM Records.
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