Omnivortex – Circulate

Written by on 09-10-2023 at 22:42.

Finland is a country with only about five and a half million inhabitants. It’s the land of a thousand lakes and experiences extremely long, real winters. Therefore, it’s not surprising that many excellent black and death metal bands hail from the country. Such dark and cold conditions provide a fertile ground for the creation of all sorts of sinister compositions. The technical death metal subgenre might not be as prevalent in the northern regions, as I don’t typically associate technical death with themes of hell and damnation and related gloomy subjects. Although there are indeed some good bands like Demilich and De Lirium’s Order.

And now, we have the second album from the gentlemen of Omnivortex. This follows their 2020 release, Diagrams of Consciousness, which I found to be a fantastic album. Technical death metal at its highest level.

Omnivortex plays fairly fast technical death metal with the raspy, abrasive vocals of the singing drummer, complemented by the often more guttural guitarist. It’s quite impressive to produce intense drumming and still have the capacity to sing a song together. What Omnivortex has to offer can be heard right away in the first track, Dwell, in all its glory. The song encapsulates what the band stands for: a high level of technicality, uncompromising death metal, progressive-sounding interludes, and a lot of musical variety.

What, in my opinion, sets this release apart from their earlier work is the reduced level of frivolity that was prominently present on the debut album. This playfulness has given way to more melancholic and darker elements in the songs, giving the overall sound a slightly more progressive character. These characteristics were certainly present on the first album but were more subtle. It gives the whole thing a slightly more mature impression while also giving the band a more distinctive identity.

Omnivortex has charted a slightly different course with Circulate compared to their debut, while the foundation remains the same: songs rooted in a very solid technical foundation. This likely makes the album more accessible to a broader audience. Whether you’re a fan of technical death metal or blackened thrashy proggy death, there’s something delicious for everyone to find. Add to that the extremely strong instrumental performance and the solid songs the band writes, and you have a very strong release on your hands. This is material for people who hold bands like Gorod, Psycroptic, or Revocation close to their hearts.

Score:

88/100

Label:

Inverse Records, 2023

Tracklisting:

  1. Dwells
  2. Transforming to Pale Mist
  3. Of Aeons Past
  4. Slumbering in Black
  5. Mechanical Motions
  6. Husk
  7. Harbingers of Cosmic Death
  8. Endless

Line-up:

  • Mikael Reinikka – Bass
  • Severi Saarioja – Guitar, Vocals
  • Mikko Pylkkö – Guitar
  • Aaro Österman – Drums, Vocals

Links: