New anthem for Oh Hiroshima.
In 2024, brothers Jakob (guitar/vocals/bass) and Oskar Hemström (drums) celebrate not only the fifteenth anniversary of their project, but also the release of their fifth album, All Things Shining, on Pelagic Records.
Wild Iris hypnotizes us in no time, blending ethereal leads with a heavy but relatively majestic rhythm that also plays host to self-effacing vocal parts that reinforce this misty aspect. The steamy sound carries us through to Holiness Movement, where the drums play a slightly more disquieting role, in keeping with the progressive, mysterious atmosphere of the track, which slowly develops alongside us and ends up fascinating us before ceasing to give way to Swans in a Field, where we first find the gentleness. The duo will of course shape it to become heavier and catchier, then finally more impressive before joining Secret Youth where harmonics once again fly freely through the air, tinged with various airy effects. The guitars end up coiling together and becoming darker, but the final chorus brings out the light again, finally giving birth to Rite of Passage, where they once again float around us with a reassuring approach that eventually flares up and becomes more intense, then gradually dies out. Deluge follows with an anguished universe where jerky Prog touches give a dark relief to the composition and its complex influences, then the duo continues with the thick Stoner/Doom shades of Leave Us Behind, which metamorphose on the break into delicate soaring notes before becoming more powerful again. Memorabilia marks the end of the record with its calmer influences, which follow us throughout the track, even when the rhythm becomes more raw, and only leave us when the last notes ring out.
It’s easy to say that Oh Hiroshima‘s career has been a flawless one, and All Things Shining sits delicately atop this success. Let yourself be bewitched by the unique, steamy touch that has made the band one of the spearheads of the Post-Rock/Metal movement.
95/100
