Russian blackened death metal band Odem has been silent for quite a few years now, as their last EP The Valley of Cut Tongues came out back in 2013. Normally when this much time has passed between releases it indicates lineup changes, but the core trio has remained intact and has clearly spent the lengthy gap fine-tuning their ideas to their sharpest and heaviest level yet. On their sophomore full-length Timeless Past Above Odem unleashes a scorching mix of technically proficient and brutal riffing with tense, haunting moments. It’s an album that is able to hit extremely hard while still providing enough variety to stick with listeners, catapulting this established group to an entirely new level.
Following a brief, ominous sounding intro the trio launches into an all-out attack on listeners with dense blasting that emphasizes the low end of the sound. It’s easily the most powerful Odem has ever sounded, and the immense, room filling scope of Timeless Past Above goes a long way in giving the material instant appeal. The first couple of songs are focused on pummeling you into submission with instrumentation that has a tendency to move from blasts to mid-tempo grooves without warning, and band uses the longer track lengths to not only showcase their technical ability but also that they can keep the material interesting for eight to nine minutes. When it comes to both black and death metal it can sometimes be hard to justify longer run-times without falling into repetition, but “Ascendence” and “Vermes” both shake up the formula regularly and have leads that get stuck in your head after the first few listens. “Illuminate” and the almost thirteen minute “Descendance” are where the black metal elements seep in further, as the tempo slows down for a significant portion of these tracks and some bone chilling melodies are laid over top of the heavier foundations. It’s here that Odem showcases they can provide thick, suffocating atmosphere that leaves as much of an impact as the brutal moments, and this puts them above some of the one-dimensional blackened death metal bands out there. Like their first album, Timeless Past Above ends with a cover song, though where its predecessor went for black metal this time the band leans into their death metal side with Immolation’s “A Glorious Epoch” which helps to end the album in a truly destructive fashion.
With the fuller sound that Odem has utilized on Timeless Past Above, the vocals have been given more focus than before and they tower above the recording with powerful growls and higher screams. KH’s main pitch is a deep growl that booms outward and only seems to gain intensity with each word, and there’s so much force behind it that it feels like it can punch through concrete. In addition to the denser low ranges, there are some higher screams and shrieks that help to shake things up a bit while keeping the energy level at a high, and some echoing and other effects make the performance seem like it’s coming from more than a mere human. The overall approach may not have drastically changed from the group’s previous material, but by giving a bit more separation between instrumentals and vocals on this album it makes a significant difference.
Odem’s previous efforts were solid, but this latest release represents a significant leap forward and in my opinion is up there with Azarath’s Saint Desecration for some of the most powerful and memorable blackened death metal you’ll hear in 2020. The core approach hasn’t changed, but this band has written even more dynamic songs that blend the right amount of technical prowess, haunting atmosphere, and unrelenting brutality. Hopefully it won’t be such a long stretch between releases moving forward, because these guys are at the top of their game right now. Timeless Past Above is available from Moribund Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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