Review OMNIUM GATHERUM ‘Origin’

Omnium Gatherum is one of the bands I have on my metal radar since quite a while and often the band moves into the shadows of other bands and releases, at least at my end. A new longplayer from the Finns always creates a reaction like, “Oh yeah. Omnium Gatherum, should listen to the band again”. It was the same when the band announced their new album ‘Origin’.

After having premiered with ‘Spirits and August Light’, the band released seven additional longplayers over time and has with ‘Origin’ the ninth record in the starting blocks. Omnium Gatherum is into melodic death metal and that is exactly what the new album features too. Three years after having let ‘The Burning Cold’ off the leash, the quintet stays true to their trademarks and brings another nine songs to the plate, reflecting the band’s sound very well.

What listeners face first is an intro called ‘Emergence’. What starts slow and calm, slowly builds up to a riff driven instrumental with a cinematic vibe. ‘Prime’ follows and is a good ambassador for the album. Melodic leads, the melancholy of the North and a solid portion of melody reflect the main elements of Omnium Gatherum’s musical toolkit. ‘Prime’ is a good opener that also acts as an appetizer for more. And there is more to come. The keyboard-laden beginning of ‘Reckoning’ for example. No doubt, the song gains heaviness after a little while. Still, Omnium Gatherum finds the sweetspot between harshness and dense keyboard sounds that never really dominate while still being an important element of the sound of the five Finns.

The atmospheric ‘Fortitude’ is an ear-pleaser too while the savage ‘Friction’ acts partly as a counterpart to the more epic sounds. The bigger soundscapes are forged for songs like ‘Unity’ before it is up to ‘Solemn’ the finish off the album with style. ‘Solemn’ is kind of summary of the entire album and contains all, listeners could enjoy until now. Theatric moment, furious outbursts, and melodic attraction, all is weaved into the epic ending of an album that showcases for a next time a band that found their niche in heavy metal. And yes, I should spin an Omnium Gatherum record more often.