I was talking to one of my best and dearest friends a little while back and as it always invariably does, we became two old blokes talking about music. Sometimes it’s akin to Grandpa Simpson‘s “OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD”-esque type chats and how jaded both we and the music world are. But sometimes it turns out to be productive, constructive criticism based on the actual state of metal as we know it now. We discussed Fredrik Thordendal’s created term “djent” and the simple fact that this style of music is pretty much the 2000’s answer to nu-metal of the ’90s.
Just when we thought nothing new could come out of a studio, with a young band in tow and an album-in-hand, we are surprised by a glistening nugget of awesome that emerges. Unfortunately, the six track EP “Omelas” is not what you have been waiting for, and sad to say, but Connecticut-based Sirens Over Sumeria is not that band!
Here is a bunch of dudes playing a style they love clearly. Think the likes of Arsonists Get All the Girls and Rings of Saturn (slowed down), and we’re on the same page. But it fails to excite. Sure, it is a good album, but Sirens Over Sumeria is by no means reinventing the wheel. I’m not gonna rag on Sirens Over Sumeria because they have invested a shit load of time, love, energy, and money bringing to life a reality of their design. But you can imagine going to a gig of four to six bands playing the same night at the same venue and it’ll be six hours of the likeness of this 22-minute djent-fuelled EP.
“Omelas” has all the breakdowns, hooks, and eight-stringed guitar necessities all the kids are wanting. As mesmerising and hypnotic as it is, it just fails to excite. One absolute criticism I will give though – and that is that if you simply have to put in the token ‘clean’ vocals – please make sure they are sung in tune. Because if they aren’t, an off-key singer can ruin all the good work that has been laid out no matter how outstanding your album/EP is. This did happen on “Omelas” but I am not going to point out which track. You, dear reader and listener, will recognise it immediately.
“Omelas” is a six track offering from Sirens Over Sumeria that gives the general public a great indication of a band doing what they love. Nothing more, nothing less.
(A very generous) 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐
