ALBUM REVIEW: Vesica Piscis – The Odious
Seven years on from their last release, THE ODIOUS are back to rattle off another collection of songs, in what is the final instalment of a musical trilogy. Titled Vesica Piscis, this album will continue the promiscuous sound that the band have trademarked, proving equally difficult to define and understand. Their tendency to meddle has placed them in good stead historically, and has landed them as a genuine talking point in both extreme metal and progressive metal circles. Vesica Piscis does not stray from this eclectic path, and serves as another example of how adaptable THE ODIOUS aim to be.
It all starts with a downright weird introduction, kicking the record into life with distorted piano and white noise that foreshadows the chaos and flippant oddity that is about to ensue. As harrowing recordings precede the lead single Repugnant, it all starts to get very technical. The track flutters between intricate riffs and storming metallic crush, all the while boasting djenty bass hooks that sound utterly massive. The result sounds like a more psychedelic BORN OF OSIRIS, bringing strange order to chaos and earning it’s nod of approval. By the time we reach the closing breakdown, it’s impossible not to bang your head to what is a frenzied blast of choppy carnage.
Arbiter Of Taste could be a PERIPHERY track in its opening stages, stamped with a tech metal seal, before it kicks through the gears with a death metal wallop. While the vocals switch between manic screams and nicely harmonised cleans, blast beats litter the track amidst swathes of proggy bridge sections. The whole album feels like an ever changing landscape, and as we reach Glowjar it starts to become apparent that each individual track brings a similar level of fluctuation. Here THE ODIOUS start slower, bringing the volume down to a simmer and allowing us a little time to bend our heads back into shape. We are treated to neat guitar licks and textured TESSERACT-esque musicianship.
Although the album covers so much ground, it is a shame that it doesn’t always stay still long enough for us to enjoy any particular aspect. Hastor The Shepard Gaunt sees us return to boiling point, as it thunders through a blitzkrieg of sonic bedlam. The riffs are heavier, the drums feel quicker, and the screams feel even more demonised than they did in the earlier stages. The title track features equally bruising beginnings, before falling away into more intricate territory. As a display of musicianship, the constant shift in dynamic is something to applaud, but again, its placement within the track makes it a little difficult for the listener to grip.
That being said, the versatility of tracks like Heavy Rhetoric and 物の哀れ are admirable, and will surely help retain THE ODIOUS‘ reputation as household names in the progressive metal realm. The obscene amount of breakdowns and battering riffs leave little to the imagination, and considering that this is effectively a progressive album that flirts with death metal, it covers both bases remarkably well. While Misuse And Malignment and Fix see the album to a close, our appetite for mouth watering metal has more than been fulfilled, and Vesica Pescis can only be described as yet another great contribution to THE ODIOUS‘ inventive discography.
Rating: 7/10
Vesica Piscis is set for release June 21st via self release.
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