RSS Feed


OMINUM
Monument

Witches Brew (2022)
Rating: 7/10

I apologise for thinking that the album cover depicted a giant pile of excrement, because on closer inspection it is in fact a heap of bodies! But anyway, this is the debut full-length platter from Swedish thrash metal act Ominum.

The band formed in 2018 and while this new effort is a bit long at just under the hour, it’s a solid effort when it comes to thrash, with solid riffs circa Metallica’s …And Justice For All (1988), but the vocals have more gravel in their approach channelling, say, Entombed’s L-G Petrov or ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera.

It could be argued that the muscular vocal grunts don’t really suit the vehicle it runs with. Opening track ‘Leviticus (In His Name)’ has an Anthrax vibe musically, but as the album unravels there’s a mix of Sepultura, Testament et al, so there’s variety without ever dabbling into too much diversity.

‘The Crescent Or The Cross’ again has that Anthrax vibe circa Spreading The Disease (1985) where the bass rumbles along nicely, and the same could also be said for ‘Psychosis’ which builds really nicely before galloping effectively. ‘Nibiru’ also keeps the atmospherics up with a cinematic opening before the competent chugging takes over.

Richard Svärd’s bass is key to most of the songs, providing a sturdy backbone, particularly during the mid-section of the album where a trio of tracks – ‘Monument I’, ‘Monument II’, and ‘Monument III’ – act as a mature medley of well-tuned melody and blazing thrash escapades.

I’m reminded of Testament at their heaviest when Chuck Billy’s vocals drifted towards a deathlier approach, so Monument is certainly a heavy album with some strong guitar work where the tone in general is good and the leads swirl nicely within the metallic framework. Although the sticking point for me is the vocals, Monument remains a well-crafted and engaging album with plenty of thrash chuggery for the headbangers.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share