Artist: Devil in the Oasis
Album Title: UMBRA
Release Date: June 25
Score: 8/10
First Impressions: Upon clicking on this lovely piece of deathcore tunage, the first thing stuck out to me was the album art. It reminded me almost of an old school, hand-drawn metalcore album, with deeper coloration and added shading that give you a feel for this band and what they have to offer. It's neat. As far as the music itself, the band delivers 7 tracks worth of heavy hitting, chugging, downtuned-ness. Vocalist Brandon Priest yields a deep, gritty performance which is consistent throughout the entire album, something I have much respect for. Guitartists Will Slaughter and Shane Hendrix show off some skills in the strings by shreding at a constant yet energetic pace that can only be described as sickening. There were bits that three me for a loop, buy overall I was impressed and happy with this release.
Likes and Dislikes: This album is pissed but not in a more digestible style than what other bands in the same genre are doing; I definitely appreciated and like the feel and attitude very much. I did, however, wish for a little more zest in some of the vocals, as they got a bit repetitive (ah consistency, a blessing and a curse).
Favorite Tracks: Goutweed (the solo at the end is pure joy), Hexxx, Seance
Wrap-up: I'm very glad this album was brought to my attention. It doesn't leave you guessing, there's alot of heart and tenacity that really brighten my day. I like that it's definitely pissed but not over done, and the vocals are well done, not to mention the solos sprinkled through each of the tracks. A little changing up, maybe even a clean or two, and this album would be damn near unstoppable.
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