GENRE | PROG DEATHTRONICA
VERDICT | SWEET, SWEET DEATH
LABEL | SUMERIAN RECORDS
RELEASE | 8.20.13
The marriage of keyboards and metal has been a source of controversy since the ’70s, when U.F.O., Rush, Deep Purple, and even the mighty Black Sabbath wove synths into their dark, doomy mixes.
Keyboards were, of course, a hair metal staple, but it was bands like Fear Factory, Ministry, and KMFDM that perfected the use of electronic instruments in metal in the ’90s, proving it did nothing to diminish the heaviness while adding an entirely new dynamic.
Chicago’s Born of Osiris is from this school, and like label-mates I See Stars and Asking Alexandria,
they boldly wave their electronic flag while ramping up the extreme elements to mind-expanding levels.
At times, there are symphonic elements, a la Dimmu Borgir, but at others it’s just a full-on deathcore frenzy: witness the atmospheric crescendos of “The Machine” and the strings-laden, blast-beat chaos of “Divergency.”
Keys in metal aren’t for everyone, but if they’re for you, this one is among the year’s best.
