Omega Crom

Almost a decade into their career, Vancouver, BC's purveyors of penetrating, Priest-influenced power-thrash, Omega Crom, finally issue a follow-up to 2003 demo To Arms! A metallic jambalaya, the band are clearly interested in varying their attack to include everything from black metal's eerie atmosphere to death-y chug riffs and rumbling undercurrent. However, they also like throwing curve balls, switching to Euro-metal vocals complete with a pitch eunuchs would envy. While continually interesting and clearly progressive in a way any Devin Townsend fan would appreciate, much of Blood, Steel And Fire is creative yet difficult to follow ― stable grooves are few and far between. Additionally, while Rob Halford and 3 Inches Of Blood's Cam Pipes are able to maintain the searing falsetto vocals, there are distinct moments here that cause wincing pain; it's, well, too much. Obviously great at what they do, but unsure of which avenue to take, when Omega Crom nail down their true passion (hopefully something akin to the shredding prowess of fourth track "The Passing Of Azazel"), they can dominate. Right now, they need to start paring down the overkill.