Ego Death, the new album from Finnish progressive metal band Omniavatar, is a curious one. There’s no doubting that this is a well-rounded and thoughtfully constructed piece that features some fantastic musicianship, but there’s something that just feels a little…off.
Instrumentally, Ego Death is a very powerful piece. There’s wonderfully heavy moments, technical sections that will have your jaw dropping, and glorious melodic moments that will give you goosebumps. The flow from one song to the next is tremendous, and it’s all just so atmospheric and ambient. Equally, the vocals on Ego Death are also delivered to a very high standard – the power and colour behind both the male and female lines is faultless, with both vocalists giving a solid performance from start to finish, and the harsh approach in Abuse really works well with the heavier vibe to the song.
However…there’s something about the combination of the two that doesn’t quite sit right at times. Both vocal styles don’t seem to slot into the bigger picture (or equally, you could say the instrumentation doesn’t quite match the vocals) so at times the album sounds like a bit of a struggle for dominance between the two main elements of the album, so as a result it can be a difficult listen at times.
Nevertheless, Ego Death is still a great album and Omniavatar have a lot going for them. This is definitely a band you need to keep your eyes on!
7/10
