OMNIUM GATHERUM
Origin
2021, Century Media
OMNIUM GATHERUM are already legends. And, with this quote from a press release, are now… wait for it… legendary: “Adult oriented death metal at its finest glory, that dark and shiny place where DEF LEPPARD and death metal meet.” Not only does that seemingly ridiculous and intriguing statement make perfect sense in the context of the trajectory of the band, as an old timer so to speak, I am actively interested in exactly what it means.
As it turns out, what it means is that Origin is one great ride, from start to Finnish. No, I’m not sorry. The flow here in terms of song sequencing could not be better, the band firing on all cylinders with their very particular brand of melodeath. The production is, expectedly, very shiny. The sound overall is not compressed to hell nor does it suffer from being an entry into the loudness wars - basically, from the time you hit play all the hallmarks of AOR are on full display. And death metal. Truth in advertising!
Having been a fan of OMNIUM GATHERUM since their beginnings back in the halcyon days of 2003 (“Wastrel” is better in its demo form, that’s just a fact), it has been a great ride through the peaks and valleys of the sound. Indebted as much to Swedeath as to more modern sounds, Origin finds OMNIUM GATHERUM not reinventing themselves per se, but certainly harnessing all the power of their metal while winking at seeming influences like FEAR FACTORY. It could certainly just be me, but I absolutely hear shades of FF in “Paragon”. Correct me if I am wrong.
There are no weak spots here. Track after track, they could all be singles. Together, they form a cohesive whole where I, as a listener, don’t want to skip around. Origin really is an album oriented album in a time where it makes more sense for bands to release an EP or a single.
OMNIUM GATHERUM is defined as “a miscellaneous gathering” - literally anything and everything. And with each successive release, the band embody this definition. Origin is easily their best and most varied work to date. Believe you me, it will definitely leave you… Adrenalized. Just watch out for the hysteria. I had to. I’m sorry, I’ll see myself out.
4.0 Out Of 5.0
