EP REVIEW: Chronos – Osiah

Nowadays when you see a band releasing new material on Unique Leader Records you can guarantee two things; firstly, that it is going to be of high quality, as the label seem to have a superb eye for up-and-coming talented extreme acts, and secondly that it will be disgustingly heavy. OSIAH tick both of these and then some.

Since the band’s inception back in 2012 the Tyne-based lads have been carving out their own niche in metal world, combining skull crushing-heaviness, technical excellence and one of the most insanely talented vocalists you are likely to see in Ricky Lee Hooper. Two years removed from their superb third full-length album Loss the boys are back with Chronos – an extended play that has given the band freedom to venture further out creatively and experiment with their sound, adding to their already stacked out armoury.

The band come out of the gates with the colossal Memento Mori (yes, we know that every man and his dog have a song with that title). The guitar tones on display from Andy Mallaby and Chris Keepin are as sharp as they are crushing and the complex beats from Danny Yates are as mind-blowing as we have come to expect from OSIAH. However, the most interesting part of the track comes at the latter stages with a breakdown that has the potential to blow out even the most battle-hardened speakers.

Elder King shows the band at their most technical. There are blast beats and high tempo riffs aplenty, with Hooper presiding over everything with his vocal acrobatics adding another layer of ferocity to proceedings. The one thing that OSIAH have always mastered is the ability to balance the technical wizardry with the right amount of heaviness, meaning that they appeal to a wider demographic without having to sacrifice any of their drive or direction musically.

The half-time tempo on show in the first half of Seeds Of Despair is a welcome change, breaking up the EP at just the right time. The use of multiple overlapping vocals and an eerie lead guitar adds to the weighty atmosphere and provides more texture to the track. It shows that the band are far from a one trick pony (although they were never accused of such a trait), and despite the second half of the track picking up the pace and dialling up the brutality, the same ominous lead guitar tone continues throughout to make this one of the most intriguing songs on Chronos.

The closing track on the EP Hues Refract is a seven-minute grand opus. This is the most progressive that OSIAH have ever been and the change in direction is fascinating. The echoed, haunting guitars and chilling clean vocals show a side to the band that we have not seen previously and reveal an exciting new dimension to their already massive soundscape. It is also worth highlighting at this point that the guitar solo included in the latter stages of the song is amongst the finest you are likely to hear this year. It has the amount of feel and storytelling that you would come to expect from one of the renowned guitar greats of yesteryear, but the technical proficiency and modern edge to make sure that it doesn’t seem out of place.

Overall Chronos is a huge creative stepping stone for the band. It shows the desire to broaden their creative horizons without alienating their fans or making any sudden changes that may have seemed jarring if they were out of the blue. This is a wonderful transition to being something more than just one of the many modern deathcore bands that are inundating the scene at the moment. The future is incredibly bright for OSIAH and we implore you not to sleep on this release.

Rating: 9/10

Chronos is set for release on February 3rd via Unique Leader Records.

Like OSIAH on Facebook.