Omnium Gatherum “May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way”
Finland’s Omnium Gatherum have been in the game since 1996, but since 2018, and with the release of their eighth album, The Burning Cold, the band has pushed beyond the limits of their own vision and have become an even more important entity on the Melodic Death Metal scene than ever before. They’ve been at it a while, so Omnium Gatherum is one of those bands that you recognize at first chord - that whole Final Fantasy sort of RPG vibe - triumphantly melodic to the point that you’ll wanna grab your sword (we all know you have a sword in your closet) and raise it in honor of great quests to come! Of entering into horizons anew and of transcending the drab, because we’ve got majestic keyboard parts, soaring guitar riffs, godlike rhythms, soul-igniting cleans and all of the magic that has accompanied every Omnium Gatherum album as of late. On November 7, OG will release their brand new LP, May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way, via Century Media Records.
Right away, it’s into realms fantastical that we find ourselves; marching along a path that sees us into interstellar atmospheres; alive and pulsating with vibrant keyboard sounds that radiate through giant guitar riffs during the titular intro. Setting an epic mood for what feels like what is going to be an exercise in mystification. The following track, “My Pain”, is the quintessential Omnium Gatherum song, but with an added element of clean vocals: densely rhythmic, swelling melodies and backed by various atmospheric effects. There’s an air of progressivism here that I didn’t pick up on with OG’s previous “Origin” album, and it makes its presence known in every remarkable lead. Feeling it now, in the zone with it and nodding my head in approval. These guys are on some next level shit as per par. Soloing is by far the high point; fretboards scaled with such precision and finesse; encapsulating the thrill element of the experience and then injecting it into your bloodstream. The energy is as exciting as are brand new discoveries or life-changing epiphanies. Embracing the clean vocals now as well. Their impact on “The Darkest City”, for example, is nothing short of stunning; the way they elevate the soulful vibe of the choruses and give you that eyes-closed, fists-clenched feeling.
Contemporary never sounded so good. Omnium Gatherum is marching boldly into the future of the genre with this release - a dignified future. Everything is musically proper, wisely composed and conveying just the right touch of wow. It’s music like this that makes it all worthwhile if only for the duration, for only these moments when the melodies move you in youthful ways and give you that spark that perhaps you thought you’d lost. Ooh, damn… “Ignite The Flame” - this one builds into something quite special: souped-up in the guitar department, backed by stadium-worthy rhythms and exuding all the ‘80’s melodic swagger you can handle. Igniting a flame in my pants… There’s also a Teutonic Thrash element to a few of these tracks along with some Amon Amarth vibes that when combined provide a pretty unique sound. There’s less space, fewer places that need to be filled here with these tracks. May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way is a more substantial recording than Origin or particularly The Burning Cold. A little ingenuity goes a long way. Omnium Gatherum just pissing on the competition here...“Streets of Rage”? Another beaut! You could run 10 miles to this one or make it into an ‘80’s montage of you designing the ultimate skateboard like the one in Gleaming the Cube… Just epic in all the best ways possible. Music is supposed to move you, to take you on a journey and so far we have a fucking winner here…
With May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way, Omnium Gatherum have forced nothing. This is the product of smooth evolution, of sensible creative transitions and of patiently-acquired musical wisdom. It comes with time, kids. You can’t go out and just whip shit like this together for your record label. What a special LP. In the zone like Billy Hoyle! And moving with strong & steady momentum is Omnium Gatherum. If this album was a woman, I wouldn’t feel worthy enough to talk to her. If it was a car, I’d be afraid to drive it. A real shot of life is what we have here. This is one for legacy, to be remembered by.
Albums like May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way, if properly recognized, are catalysts to that big leap forward for a sub-genre. Something like Death’s Human, At The Gates’ The Red in the Sky is Ours or Coroner’s Punishment For Decadence. Game-changers, and in this album’s case, it’s artistic maturation and a solid understanding of wholesome songwriting that stand paramount. You don’t have to drop their jaws or blow their minds. Sometimes, a band just has to remind us of why we love music, of why we live for this…
SCORE: 10 / 10
You can purchase on Omnium Gatherum’s Bandcamp or stream it on their Spotify when it is released November 7th. The band will embark on a headlining tour with support from Aether Realm and Hinayana. You can check out tour dates and purchase tickets HERE.
