If you want to bill yourself as "the heaviest band in the UK," you'd better have something to back it up with. Fortunately for Osiah, Kingdom of Lies is something. A slab of drum-triggered madness from the first "breeee" to the last breakdown, it will send Job for a Cowboy fans into an inescapable nostalgia spiral. Put on the Vans and stretch out your spacers: it's deathcore time, 2008 style.
Having peaked in popularity sometime around 2011, new deathcore acts have to navigate the difficult task of respecting their originators without becoming cheap copies — a test that nu metal passed and glam spectacularly failed. To their credit, Osiah do not sound precast; the influence of Ingested, Suicide Silence and the aforementioned Job for a Cowboy is present, but the band understand that a great record cannot exist on throwbacks alone.
"Abattoir" slams heavier than any of their peers, full of dissonant chording and squealed vocals courtesy of Ricky Lee Roper (now there's a name built for success). Single "Reflections of a Monster" can get tedious, with its drum triggers and repetitive ending, but it's offset by "Hellborn," with its rallying intro and breakneck pace. "Ascension," too, scores points for its black metal opening and overall sense of menace.
With Martyr Defiled dearly departed, and most of the UK metalcore scene flirting with the mainstream, Osiah fill a nice niche, reminding us where this music originally started. Kingdom of Lies is essential listening for all deathcore fans in 2019.
(Unique Leader)Having peaked in popularity sometime around 2011, new deathcore acts have to navigate the difficult task of respecting their originators without becoming cheap copies — a test that nu metal passed and glam spectacularly failed. To their credit, Osiah do not sound precast; the influence of Ingested, Suicide Silence and the aforementioned Job for a Cowboy is present, but the band understand that a great record cannot exist on throwbacks alone.
"Abattoir" slams heavier than any of their peers, full of dissonant chording and squealed vocals courtesy of Ricky Lee Roper (now there's a name built for success). Single "Reflections of a Monster" can get tedious, with its drum triggers and repetitive ending, but it's offset by "Hellborn," with its rallying intro and breakneck pace. "Ascension," too, scores points for its black metal opening and overall sense of menace.
With Martyr Defiled dearly departed, and most of the UK metalcore scene flirting with the mainstream, Osiah fill a nice niche, reminding us where this music originally started. Kingdom of Lies is essential listening for all deathcore fans in 2019.