Born and bred in the northeastern coasts of England, Osiah is an act that was originally formed as a five-piece outfit under a different name. However, over time, numerous occurrences caused the band to split and eventually reform under this new nomenclature around 2012. Since then, Osiah has brutally taken the UK scene by storm through their heavy, dark style of deathcore, releasing one EP and two full-length albums along the way and even being signed to Unique Leader Records. All that being said the band is back with their sophomore effort in the form of Kingdom of Lies, so let's see what they're about this time.
Kingdom of Lies is being released universally on May 3rd, 2019 under the band's label Unique Leader Records. The new album is a follow-up to their debut Terror Firma and it consists of eleven heavy and crushing, chuggy core tracks...culminating into over 40 minutes of deathcore content. Also notably, Kingdom of Lies was mastered by Zack Ohren, who has worked with such artists as death metallers Alterbeast as well as oldschool bands Animosity and Immolation in the past, too.
No buildup, the album pretty much opens with a fast-paced, chuggy and pigsqueal-ey song in the form of 'Return to the Old World'. It's a bit out of left field, but makes for a bold warmup for what's to come next. I must say that I really admire the lightning speed of the blast beat and double bass drumming in relation to everything else, especially in the first few songs. A lot of the riffs are a mix of standard deathcore open-note chugging and tremolo picking, but for the most part it fits in nicely. The interchanging guitar riffs are a nice touch throughout, as well.
'The Western Star' is a typical core track, but they really had me sold on 'Abattoir' mostly for its vocal variety, changing between squealing death metal, high pitched deathcore and almost gang-like vocals at times; as well as its background atmosphere comprised of high notes and dark ambiance in addition to the lyrical content as well. The ending breakdown on this track is one of my faves off of Kingdom of Lies too. 'Reflections of a Monster' is similar to the previous but makes up for it with its relentless breakdowns and over-the-top vocals, even reminding me of Acrania by the end of it.
'Awakening' is another ambient, almost downtempo-like song and 'Ascension' is probably my personal fave overall. From its ringing intro to the blackened death metal vibes and strong outro, it's a worthy contender. 'Hellborn' is one track that I wasn't sure how I felt about. It's more of a brief filler song but kind of feels all over the place. However, 'Telluric Necromancy' is another banger for having undoubtedly the most energetic vocals and breakdown riffs out of the entire release.
In the end, as an album, Kingdom of Lies kind of mixes it up and has a couple short filler tracks. However, it also has a lot of substance on the forefront for the most part and really keeps a solid, consistent pacing and sound after the first couple of songs and manages to finish off on a satisfying note.
Osiah shows some decent promise on Kingdom of Lies and, while I haven't heard much of their previous material, I'd still give them points for being consistent throughout this release with their sound while also delving a bit more into the guitar riffing and tempos found on here. The album is fast and heavy from start to finish, only letting up for the occasional instrumental section, and the vocals were as varied as I wanted them to be. There's this sense of otherworldly brutality in some parts, when innovation takes a back seat, and the band just goes all in when it comes to sounding relentlessly heavy. For those reasons, it's a fairly enjoyable offering despite a few of its shortcomings in terms of branching out on the sound. Then again, maybe that's the point.
Fave Tracks: 'Abattoir', 'Ascension', 'Telluric Necromancy'
For Fans Of: Impending Doom, Obliterate, Within Destruction
**This album is available here!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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