Recommended Aussie Tunes:Psycroptic | The new single "A Fragile Existence" | Listen

Album Reviews : Orpheus Omega – Wear Your Sins

By on April 2, 2019

Melbourne melodic death metal mainstays Orpheus Omega have recently released their fourth album Wear Your Sins. Following up 2015’s Partum Vita Mortem, Wear Your Sins represents a codification of the various elements that go in to Orpheus Omega into a clearly personal sound that sets the band apart from the slew of other melodic death metal bands and represents one of the best records of recent melodic death metal. The metalcore and deathcore influences that were seen on previous records have been further developed here, perhaps bolstered by the production style of Mark Lewis who has previously worked with bands like Trivium, Unearth and The Black Dalia Murder, yet the core melodic death metal element is never compromised. Two words come to mind when I think of my broad impressions of this album: the first is ‘riffs’; while the more chord-based style of melodic death metal is perhaps best exemplified by their Melbourne peers in Be’lakor, Orpheus Omega show their listeners why riffs matter by putting them at the core of each excellent song. The second is ‘anthemic’, as almost every chorus on this album makes you want to sing along and shout out loud, as I’m sure their audiences will be doing on their upcoming tour dates.

Wear Your Sins begins strongly with the opening song ‘Lighthouse’ as the first chords gradually build toward harmonised guitars and a fast-paced verse. Here, the band showcases their sound, providing a unique mix of elements familiar to melodic death metal without being derivative of any one band and embodies the best of the modern melodic death metal style. ‘In Time’ moves from a catchy opening riff into a dark riff that recalls the best of classic At The Gates. The Gothenburg influences remain present throughout with songs such as ‘Insinerate’ and ‘Unblinking’ bearing that unmistakably In Flames-esque sense of melody fused with harsh vocals. These songs move beyond the scores of Gothenburg worshippers, with a sense of groove and heaviness that is distinctly their own. Heavier moments are also found across the record, such as the beautifully modal riff that opens ‘Wash it Away’, a song that leans more heavily on the ‘death metal’ part of melodic death metal, generally being one of the strongest songs on the album. ‘Suffer’ displays some of the groovier, deathcore-infused side to the band, while some metalcore aspects can be seen in the riffing and use of clean vocals throughout the album. The vocals remind me strongly of bands in the vein of The Amity Affliction, however they’re quite well balanced with the harsh vocals throughout the album and flow organically from their usage on Pater Vita Mortem. Tracks like ‘Swim in the Black’ showcase this stylistic blend well, balancing catchy melodies, solid grooves and heavy riffs. Closing track ‘Wear your Sins’ is an excellent choice for the closer, pulling me in from the slow, legato guitar and piano riff at the start to the closing fade-out, embodying the best of this genre.

Wear Your Sins represents Orpheus Omega’s strongest effort to date, codifying their own sound while continuing to incorporate new influences. The album is extremely well constructed with each track managing to stand on its own while still fitting within the whole of the album. Previous fans of Orpheus Omega’s material will surely enjoy this one too and any fan of melodic death metal will likely find something that suits their tastes. I’m looking forward to hearing these tracks live on the upcoming tour!

Band: Orpheus Omega
Album: Wear Your Sins
Year: 2019
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: EVP Recordings
Origin: Australia
Purchase

About

Ben is a metalhead originally from Sydney, who has now moved to Hobart to pursue a PhD in Australian extreme metal. When not studying, writing about or playing metal, he can be found playing video games, browsing Reddit, knitting, fending off his cat or helping out at his local church.