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Album Review – ONI / The Silver Line (2023)

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The unstoppable Jake Oni and his henchmen return with their most dynamic yet cohesive and focused work, representing a means to exorcise personal demons for anyone who listens and connects to the sound, the spirit and the stand taken by each song.

The creative evolution of the multifaceted Windsor, Canada-based Progressive Metalcore/Djent force known as ONI never ends. Always evolving, braving treacherous waters and searching for a distinctive light in the darkness, the band spearheaded by frontman Jake Oni, alongside Brandon White and Martin Andres on the guitars, Johnny DeAngelis on the xylosynth, Chase Bryant on bass and Joe Greulich on drums, is about to release their new full-length beast titled The Silver Line, the follow-up to their 2022 critically acclaimed album Loathing Light. Produced, mixed and mastered by the duo of Spiritbox bassist Josh Gilbert and Joe McQueen (As I Lay Dying, Light The Torch, Bad Wolves), and featuring an array of special guests including Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens) and Howard Jones (Light the Torch, Devil You Know, Killswitch Engage), The Silver Line is at once the most dynamic yet cohesive and focused work in the band’s burgeoning career, being therefore a must-listen for fans of Allegaeon, Oceans, Monuments, Killer Be Killed, Tallah and Alluvial, among several others.

The atmospheric and futuristic Silhouette will put you to bang your head nonstop to the metallic riffs by Brandon and Martin and the rumbling bass by Chase in a great display of modern-day Metalcore, with Jake leading his crew with his melodic and enraged vocals; followed by Spark, featuring pop-punk-resurgence star Sueco, another blast of ONI’s melodious Metalcore with Joe’s drums dictating the song’s pace while Johnny adds his share of electricity to the music with his xylosynth, with the song’s harsher vocals making it even more exciting. Then we have Underneath My Skin, featuring the aforementioned Kellin Quinn on vocals, where Jake and his ONI continue to blend metal sounds with atmospheric and electronic nuances, not to mention the solid vocal duo between Jake and Kellin, and it’s time to turn up the heat in Silence In A Room Of Lies, a neck-breaking, Djent-infused feast where Jake is joined by guest Jared Dines on vocals, always supported by the sick riffage by Brandon and Martin.

ONI’s modern-day fusion of Metalcore and Djent keeps hammering our heads in Cyanide, with Chase sounding menacing with his bass jabs, being tailored for admirers of the genre; and there’s no sign of Jake & Co. slowing down at all in The Dread, featuring vocalist Justin Hill, where they continue their headbanging feast with another round of their incendiary riffs and metallic bass lines, plus of course the wicked xylosynth by Johnny. Then featuring renowned bassist Josh Gilbert and vocalist Howard Jones, Aura is a born-to-be-a-hit on any rock and metal radio, with Jake and Howard sounding insane on vocals throughout the entire song, boosted by the massive beats by Joe, whereas Armageddon, featuring Michael Lessard on vocals, follows the same pattern as the rest of the album, bringing the band’s Metalcore sound and their undeniable energy. It could have been a little more dynamic and fresher, or different than its predecessors, though. And closing the album we’re treated to Burns My Soul, inspiring us all to jump up and down with Jake while Brandon and Martin fire sheer electricity from their guitars.

In a nutshell, The Silver Line ups the ante once more, adding another full-length chapter to ONI’s ever-expanding songbook, representing a means to exorcise personal demons for anyone who listens and connects to the sound, the spirit and the stand taken by the songs, being as much for the listener as it is for Jake. “Music is such a gift,” said Jake thoughtfully. “If you can make music, and people respond to it? I’ve learned not to take that for granted. Count your blessings because the opportunity to make music is such a great one. We should always be grateful. Because it’s the coolest job anyone could do.” Hence, you can show Jake how much you love the music by ONI by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by streaming all of their creations on Spotify, and by purchasing a copy of The Silver Line by clicking HERE. The Silver Line is undoubtedly ONI’s strongest effort since the band’s inception in 2014, and if you give them a chance I’m sure you’ll get addicted to their music and keep spinning the album while fighting your inner demons alongside one of the rising names of the Canadian Metalcore and Djent scene.

Best moments of the album: Spark, Silence In A Room Of Lies and Aura.

Worst moments of the album: Armageddon.

Released in 2023 Ironshore Records

Track listing
1. Silhouette 3:13
2. Spark  3:07
3. Underneath My Skin  2:53
4. Silence In A Room Of Lies 3:15
5. Cyanide 2:51
6. The Dread 3:11
7. Aura 3:32
8. Armageddon 3:09
9. Burns My Soul 3:47

Band members
Jake Oni – vocals
Brandon White – guitars
Martin Andres – guitars
Johnny DeAngelis – xylosynth
Chase Bryant – bass
Joe Greulich – drums

Guest musicians
Sueco – vocals on “Spark”
Kellin Quinn – vocals on “Underneath My Skin”
Justin Hill – vocals on “The Dread”
Josh Gilbert – bass on “Aura”
Howard Jones – vocals on “Aura”
Michael Lessard – vocals on “Armageddon”
Jared Dines – vocals on “Silence In A Room Of Lies”

Album Review – Ov Sulfur / The Burden ov Faith (2023)

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Behold the debut album by this Las Vegas-based Blackened Deathcore beast, overflowing blasphemy, sulfur and obscurity.

The sound of a musical left-hand path that is nothing short of sonically jarring, lyrically blasphemous and utterly epic in its delivery, Las Vegas, Nevada-based Blackened Deathcore entity Ov Sulfur has just unleashed upon humanity their first full-length opus, entitled The Burden ov Faith, the follow-up to their 2021 debut EP Oblivion. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder and produced by Morgoth Beatz, the album challenges the genre’s conventions while inviting comparisons to Dimmu Borgir or Behemoth in their prime, with an ominous sense of melody dotting the dark musical landscapes brought into being by frontman Ricky Hoover (Suffokate), guitarist Chase Wilson (Collisions, Sigil), bassist Ding (Efnisien) and drummer Leviathvn (Empyrean Throne, Dawn of Ashes, Deadcheck, Urilia), supported by an array of magnificent guest musicians the likes of Alex Terrible (Slaughter To Prevail) and Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage, Light The Torch).

It’s hell on earth in just a few seconds in the opening tune Stained in Rot, with Ricky already growling like a beast while Leviathvn dictates the song’s demented pace in a lecture in Blackened Deathcore by the quartet; and the band continues to pulverize our ears in Befouler, featuring the aforementioned Alex Terrible on guest vocals, with Ricky’s inhumane roars walking hand in hand with the heavy-as-hell riffage by Chase. Then we have Unraveling, featuring Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer) as a guest vocalist while epic background keys add an extra touch of sulfur to the music. Needless to say, Ding’s bass and Leviathvn’s drums sound infernal from start to finish, which is also the case in Death ov Circumstance, where its wicked lyrics (“The sky above is cloaked in endless dark / Ashes, once life, coat the lungs ov all those in sight / What a foul stench – that ov charred innocence”) spice up an already venomous sonority, or in other words, it’s demonic Deathcore at its finest; whereas hellish barks, piercing riffs and whimsical background orchestrations and sounds will embrace your soul in Earthen.

After the atmospheric, enfolding interlude A Path to Salvation?, the band will crush our senses with the grandiose I, Apostate, where Ricky showcases not only his deep guttural roars, but he also delivers more devilish Black Metal-inspired screeches, sounding perfect for breaking our necks headbanging. Poetic lyrics are darkly screamed by the duo formed of Ricky and guest Howard Jones in Wide Open (“One of us, accept your feelings / One of us, let go of it all / One of us, this is the real truth / One of us, break their control over you”), while Chase, Ding and Leviathvn are merciless armed with their sonic weapons in the most sulfurous of all songs. Their second to last breath of darkness and blasphemy comes in the form of The Inglorious Archetype, with the massive drums by Leviathvn and the visceral roars by Ricky sounding awesome despite the fact that the song loses its punch after a while; and lastly, featuring guests Kyle Medina (Bodysnatcher) and Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth), the title-track The Burden ov Faith is a spot-on depiction of everything the band stands for, with the charming vocals by Lyndsay bringing some peace to our hearts amidst the band’s metallic savagery.

Such incendiary album can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you should purchase your favorite copy of The Burden ov Faith by clicking HERE, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. Ov Sulfur offer us all in their debut opus everything we love in this type of music, sounding absolutely devilish, caustic and blasphemous from start to finish, paving the band’s path to the underworld and, therefore, placing them among one of the new driving forces of the current Deathcore scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Stained in Rot, Death ov Circumstance and Wide Open.

Worst moments of the album: The Inglorious Archetype.

Released in 2023 Century Media

Track listing
1. Stained in Rot 4:14
2. Befouler 3:43
3. Unraveling 4:46
4. Death ov Circumstance 4:33
5. Earthen 5:24
6. A Path to Salvation? 1:13
7. I, Apostate 4:40
8. Wide Open 5:07
9. The Inglorious Archetype 3:46
10. The Burden ov Faith 6:50

Band members
Ricky Hoover – vocals
Chase Wilson – guitars
Ding – bass
Leviathvn – drums

Guest musicians
Alex Terrible – vocals on “Befouler”
Taylor Barber – vocals on “Unraveling”
Howard Jones – vocals on “Wide Open”
Kyle Medina – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”
Lindsay Schoolcraft – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”

Album Review – Within Temptation / Hydra (2014)

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As the name of the album says,  Within Temptation show all their “heads” with an interesting mix of Symphonic Metal, Pop, Rock, Rap and other musical variations.

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CoverLess symphonic, but a lot more eclectic: that’s a good definition for Hydra, the brand new studio album by the Dutch Symphonic Metal band Within Temptation, with so many special guests that it makes me wonder if they asked Pitbull or J-Lo for some tips on how to sell more albums. Anyway, 39-year old Dutch princess Sharon and keyboard player Matijn were responsible for almost all songs, all full of different elements from other musical genres, and it’s even hard to keep calling what the band does as Symphonic Metal after listening to it.

I’m not sure if the diehard fans of the band will enjoy it due to all the new stuff added to the music, but one thing I have no doubt about: the professionalism and talent of all members of the band. Hydra doesn’t have a single moment where it sounds amateur, showing how much the band cares about the final result of their material, and that becomes 100% clear with the opening track, Let Us Burn, an awesome start with its symphonic atmosphere, excellent keyboards and chorus, and Sharon’s voice as beautiful and potent as ever.

The next track, Dangerous, has an interesting duo on vocals with Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage) together with Sharon and a more Heavy Metal approach, while And We Run, despite following a similar formula with rapper Xzibit on vocals, sounds too pop for me, but might be interesting for part of the fans. The next song is also the best track of the album undoubtedly: Paradise (What About Us?), featuring the one and only goddess Tarja Turunen with her unique perfect voice, has some great guitar solos and was born to become an instant hit. Not only that, this amazing song also has a music video made for our pure delight, with a “green” message against technology and, of course, all the beauty of Tarja and Sharon together.

Hydra continues with the semi-acoustic Edge Of The World, a beautiful song where Sharon shows a smoother side of her voice, and Silver Moonlight, another strong moment of the album with a very enjoyable pace and with the keyboards giving it all that special atmosphere. The next song, Covered By Roses, lacks creativity and it’s one of the albums weakest tracks (despite Sharon’s performance being beautiful again), followed by another nice song, Dog Days. The regular version of Hydra ends with the good song Tell Me Why with its strong chorus and keyboards, and Whole World Is Watching, featuring Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), a nice ballad but nothing special if compared to the other songs of the album.

Within-Temptation-2014However, if you acquire the digital premium or the deluxe album box version of Hydra, the total running time of the album goes up to over 90 minutes of music with all the bonus tracks. There’s a bunch of cover songs and alternate versions, including the music video for Paradise (What About Us?), but the best one by far is their version for the song Radioactive, from the American alternative rock band Imagine Dragons. This version is way better than the original (which by the way is not bad), and the same can be said about Summertime Sadness, from Lana Del Rey, and Dirty Dancer, from Enrique Iglesias.

The album art is simple but very effective, representing well the Hydra and what the band is delivering with the album. Regarding the musicians, as I previously mentioned, they’re all very professional and know what to do with their instruments, but it’s impossible not to get addicted to Sharon’s voice and “forget” the instrumental parts sometimes. And yes, she will be the “Metal Chick of the Month” one day for sure.

To sum up, Hydra might not be a wonderful album, but it’s pretty consistent and a good choice for the road, the gym or anytime you don’t want to get too heavy. Don’t worry, Within Temptation is still Symphonic Metal, and it’s totally entertaining to see how they were able to add so much unusual stuff to their music without losing their identity. Maybe Hydra will grant them the so desired ticket to stardom, who knows?

Best moments of the album: Let Us Burn, Paradise (What About Us?) and Silver Moonlight. Among the cover songs/bonus tracks, I would say Radioactive is the best one by far.

Worst moments of the album: Covered By Roses and Whole World Is Watching.

Released in 2014 Nuclear Blast/Universal Music

Track listing
1. Let Us Burn 5:31
2. Dangerous (feat. Howard Jones) 4:52
3. And We Run (feat. Xzibit) 3:50
4. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja Turunen) 5:22
5. Edge Of The World 4:55
6. Silver Moonlight 5:17
7. Covered By Roses 4:48
8. Dog Days 4:47
9. Tell Me Why 6:12
10. Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner) 4:03

Digital Premium/Deluxe Album Box bonus tracks
11. Radioactive (Imagine Dragons cover) 3:15
12. Summertime Sadness (Lana Del Rey cover) 4:07
13. Let Her Go (Passenger cover) 3:44
14. Dirty Dancer (Enrique Iglesias cover) 4:15
15. And We Run (evolution track) 5:41
16. Silver Moonlight (evolution track) 6:05
17. Covered By Roses (evolution track) 4:43
18. Tell Me Why (evolution track) 5:00
19. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja Turunen) music video – iTunes Premium Version 5:51

Band members
Sharon den Adel – vocals
Robert Westerholt – guitars, vocals on “Silver Moonlight” and “Tell Me Why”
Ruud Jolie – guitars
Martijn Spierenburg – keyboards
Jeroen van Veen – bass guitar
Mike Coolen – drums
Stefan Helleblad – additional guitars

Guest musicians
Howard Jones – vocals on “Dangerous”
Xzibit – vocals on “And We Run”
Tarja Turunen – vocals on “Paradise (What About Us?)”
David Pirner – vocals on “Whole World Is Watching”