There is nothing quite like the moment when you listen to a band that you have kind of liked for awhile’s new album and you know that this is the album that changes them from being a ‘good’ band to a ‘great’ band. For Melbourne band Orpheus Omega that album has just arrived in the form of Wear Your Sins. This isn’t just the album that is going to win them a few more Australian fans… no this is the album that is going to launch them to the world. Yes, soon these guys will be being begged to be playing festivals in the U.S. and Europe and deservedly so because what they have delivered here is a truly amazing album.
You know you are onto something really special here when the opening strains of ‘Lighthouse’ sees the music build to an almost orchestral height. It is also on this track that you realise that the change in tone that the band is delivering is what sees them take the next step in their career. The brilliant death vocals of Chris Themelco lead the way but the keys of Keswick Gallagher takes the listener down a magnificent path of discovery while the guitar playing and inventive input from Niilo Sevanen of Insomnium and Sophie Christensen of Valhalore take this band to a whole different stratosphere that their fans could only of dreamed of.
Here’s the first song from released today (7 March 2019):
The twists and turns of perfection continue on the album with the choir-driven opening and strong melodic vocals on ‘In Time’ which then leads into the sheer brutal vocals mixed with film soundtrack keys of ‘Suffer’. It becomes very, very clear that on Wear Your Sins you are never going to be able to predict what the band will experiment with next. As to prove that point ‘Suffer’ also features guitars that sound like they were recorded by a garage band at 2am on a Saturday morning… and you know what it simply adds to a track that already sounded amazing.
The comes ‘When Hope Gives Way To Reason’ a track that reveals itself to be one of the tracks of the year. Its melodic vocal section soars making the chorus a literal anthem while its manic keys and brilliant guitar work from Joao Goncalves makes this the kind of track that every heavy metal radio station should be playing on high rotation.
Orpheus Omega’s experimentation in sound contines with the hard rock style opening of ‘Insinerate’ morphing into a wall of sound where guitar and keys compliment each other perfected while creepy whispers draw the listener in even more. Then there is a beautiful closing to the track that any prog rock band would be envious of.
Time after time the band deliver on this album – with the pure guitar driven ‘Unblinking’ (where the band is helped out by the talented James Norbert Ivanyi, the pained emotional vocals of ‘Swim In The Black’ and the brutal, in-your-face style of ‘Wash It All Away’ it is nearly impossible to try and pick which is the best track on the album because there are no weak tracks to be seen anywhere.
Of course even perfection must come to a close and Orpheus Omega do that in style. ‘Distorted Words’ is the work of a band at their peak – there are the right mix of clean and growls when it comes to the vocals while again the guitar work is off this planet. The track also features a kind of folk-metal sound creeping through which gets a big plus in my books as well. Anna Murphy from Cellar Darling also makes an appearance on ‘Wear Your Sins’ which is yet another track that must be heard to be believed.
2019 seems to be one of those years where we are being completely blessed with the music that is coming out. This week already I have heard the magnificent new In Flames album and now I hear Wear Your Sins – an album that I am sure is destined to become a classic heavy metal. Orpheus Omega take a bow because you have just delivered pure metal perfection.
ORPHEUS OMEGA TOUR DATES
The band will tour with Finland’s Omnium Gatherum this April in support of the release.
April 10 – Canberra | The Basement
April 12 – Sydney | Crowbar
April 13 – Brisbane | Crowbar
April 15 – Wellington | Valhalla *
April 16 – Auckland | Whammy Bar *
April 17 – Adelaide | Enigma Bar
April 18 – Ballarat | Karova Lounge
April 19 – Geelong | The Barwon Club
April 20 – Melbourne | Corner Hotel
April 26 – Hobart | The Brisbane Hotel **
April 27 – Launceston | Mode Bar **
* Orpheus Omega not appearing
** Omnium Gatherum not appearing
