Virginia
is a hotspot for bands moving within sludgy circles, but one band who excel
within the newer class are The
Osedax. Named after a bone-burrowing deep sea worm, their music is
similarly infectious as it worms its way into your system. Now on their third
major release, “Meridians”, the group push their blend of
atmospheric sludge/doom/post-metal to new heights, and the results are
devastatingly effective.
Each
track takes its sweet time to warm up, but once the drums kick it’s worth the
wait. The Osedax perfectly capture the
deep-water experience in all its forms, whether floating in a wash of guitar
static, trudging through muddy riffs and melancholic synths, or - the pièce de
résistance - when the band kick “Beacon / Ox Eye” and “White Horse /
Tempest” in the guts with frantic blast beats akin to black metal like Downfall of Gaia. In
addition, slimming down to a trio has had no ill effect on the band’s potency -
the shared vocals flow between harrowing yells à la Neurosis and creature-like
shrieks. The overall effect is cavernous, a sound that envelops and
simultaneously destroys eardrums.
If
you weren’t already familiar their previous albums “Delayed Response”
or “Titans Lament”, then “Meridians” should be
mandatory listening for fans of the above-mentioned genres, and who like
floating at the bottom of the ocean. Get
your first taste of their new record today with the worldwide premiere of “Beacon/Ox
Eye” below. Preorder are being taken
HERE
