The Pitch: The new album from Singapore-based death/grind band Oshiego released via Horror Pain Gore Death. FFO: Bolt Thrower, Dismember, Grave
What I Like: From China to Japan, Asia has long been a source of some of the most unapologetically strange and extreme metal acts in the underground. No different is the case for Singapore's Oshiego. Combining brutal, old school, and melodic death metal with some thrash and grindcore elements, The Book Of Wonders is a punishing album that gives no quarter. Oshiego alternate between shin splint-inducing blastbeats and groovey, chugging OSDM riffs; always complimented by brutal, gravely snarls. And in addition to the usual guitar fanfare, these guys take further notes from the classics by not shying away from a ripping solo here and there.
Critiques: Time for Flight to complain about tracks being overlong again. Never heard THAT before. But in all seriousness, I just don't see the need for the title track, for example, to drag on for nearly 5 minutes. Most of these songs kick off very strong, and I just feel that if they ended closer to the 2-3 minute mark they would sound more focused.
The Verdict: The Book Of Wonders continues to prove that the East can do death metal just as down and dirty as the West. Oshiego would benefit from taking a less is more philosophy moving forward, but even so fans of classic death metal should find plenty to enjoy here.
Flight's Fav's: Nomad, Incubus, The Fifth Voyage
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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