Osees’ ‘ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST’ proves that the band still have more bite, even on their 29th studio album
The album harnesses a fresh and angry sound, one fans have been hoping for.
Photo: Nick Sayers
ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST opens with the second single that was released prior to the album: ABOMINATION. Beginning with that staple of many of Osees’ tracks, a distorted clash of instruments, the song thins out to just a drum, before exploding into a frenzy of heavy guitar riffs and John Dwyer’s screeching vocals. The track seems like a perfect opener, throwing listeners straight into the deep end, and this agitated sound is heard throughout the entire 35-minute run time.
ABOMINATION acts as the perfect segue into SNEAKER, a song which has a similar structure to the previous track, but is definitely more bass-heavy. Lyrics seem to be much more at the core of this song than the latter, “I’m trying to reach you / Don’t let go now”. The song closes with another classic motif of an Osees track, Dwyer’s incredible guitar riffs, which, when paired with the synths, create such a unique harmony, and the song draws to a sharp end.
GOD’S GUTS and INFECTED CHROME follow after, some of the best tracks from the album. GOD’S GUTS takes the intensity of the guitar, often only heard at their live shows, and places it amongst the screeching frontman, resulting in a heavy garage sound. INFECTED CHROME, with its nearly five-minute length, takes me back to some of their earlier albums, like Mutilator Defeated At Last. Dwyer repeating, “It’s alright / It’s alright / It’s alright,” and then sandwiching some of the most amazing guitar work between those words feels almost comical, and I found myself wishing that the track was even longer, just because of how incredibly all the elements worked together to create such a crazy, distorted sound.
GLUE, ASHES 2 and COFFIN WAX definitely harness a heavier sound. A faster tempo and more intense drum work bring the instrumental moments of the song to the forefront of the listener’s mind, despite Dwyer bringing his normal enthusiasm and aggressive sound to the lyrics. ASHES 1, peculiarly put after ASHES 2 on the tracklist, brings a drastic tone change to the album. If somehow the first seven tracks just weren’t fast enough, angry enough, or heavy enough for you, then you may just have found your new favourite song! Coming in at only 56 seconds long, ASHES 1 fills every single moment with some kind of loud, aggressive instrumentation, and this may just be Osees at their most raucous.
FIGHT SIMULATOR, the first single from the album, carries over that shouty sound that we all know and love the band for, and it holds up well with the rest of the tracklist, slowing down at moments before ramping up the tempo even faster.
PROTECTION and GLASS WINDOW seem like the most structured of the tracks. I can imagine these working well at their live shows, especially PROTECTION, giving a long enough (and clear enough) wait for the heavy drop — I’m certain a large mosh pit would have a field day.
GLITTER-SHOT rounds off the album, with a much slower tempo than the other tracks, a robotic voice leads the song, and this definitely seems to be the tamest track from the album. This helps to draw attention towards the lyricism: “The tyrant needs attention to survive”, and works as a nice way to wrap up the album.
Overall, ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST is a great addition to Osees lengthy discography, and I can only see this album getting better with each listen.
ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST is out now via Deathgod.