Osiah didn’t waste any time.
Since the release of their third album in 2021, the band composed of Ricky Lee Roper (vocals), Chris Keepin (guitar), Carl Dunn (bass), Andy Mallaby (guitar) and Danny Yates (drums) has played a few gigs, but mostly composed and polished Chronos, their new EP.
Memento Mori, the first track, immediately brings us back to the heavy atmosphere created by the band’s dissonant and aggressive technical Deathcore, combining massive vocal parts with an impeccable riffs mastery. A few choirs make the mix even more powerful and threatening while the jerky rhythmic assiduously breaks our neck, followed by this final break before Elder King lets the worked riffs express themselves on a fast tempo. Wild screams and cavernous howls follow one another on this powerful and catchy rhythmic, but the track is quite short, and it will be replaced by The Golden Throne and its mystical sounds, which give the wave of violence an ominous sound. Heaviness is obviously never far away, letting the crushing instrumental compete with vocals by rushing us to the dark Seeds of Despair, taking advantage of some slow and choking Hardcore/Beatdown roots. The disturbing airy leads also contribute to the oppressive atmosphere which perfectly fits with vocal parts, just like on the even slower and heavier final which sweeps us away before Hues Refract, the last track, comes to allow us to gradually catch our breath while a distant guitar joins us, followed by soothing clean vocals. Saturation will join the composition in its middle, revealing intense haunting tones creating a contrast with the other tracks’ raw and heavy violence, while developing another aspect of it until the end.
Osiah has not lost his touch, making Chronos an EP of raw strength. Whether the first tracks are exactly what we can expect from the band, I’m sure that the last composition will surprise more than one!
90/100