Omnium Gatherum - Grey Heavens (2016)

My biggest complaint with Grey Heavens is that it's almost entirely the product of a band resting on its laurels, having evolved very little from Omnium Gatherum's roots during the onset of Finland joining the melodic death metal boom of the earlier 21st century. It risks almost nothing, simply attempting to tidy up on elements of studio production and the balance between those slightly prog metal licks and ideas that have saturated the band's sound through their seven album journey. So many of the riffing structures here sound as if they've been inspired wholesale by bands like Insomnium, Kalmah, Children of Bodom, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity that I had a problem trying to discern any genuine identity, but at the same time it's quite true to the initial stakes planted with Spirits and August Light, a disc that was honestly pretty good for its age...so there is the potential that some portion of its audience will find fulfillment that those roots have been exhumed and exonerated, even if the Finns rarely strayed too far from the proverbial litter.

Otherwise, this is functional, highly melodic death with the same deep guttural presence that they've more or less always used, in the lineage of the growls used by bands like Sentenced and Amorphis during their primes, and really similar to Insomnium. Occasional vocal clean passages are present, sounding relatively smooth and soothing, while not coming off terribly trite or hokey. The primary ingredient to this is the guitars, though, and how they weave off with the synthesizer to provide that same contemporary, sleek cubicle feel the band has been courting for several records now. Almost too clean for its own good, but I get the feeling this is due to a lot of exposure to progressive rock and metal bands like Dream Theater and such and attempting to genuinely intersperse them with the death growls and Sweden-like harder rhythmic guitar passages. Most of the note progressions and constantly erupting melodies and harmonies attempt to spread a 'warm feeling' through the listener. This has never been a dissonant, 'evil' sounding act in the slightest, and I feel like a handful of tunes here do accomplish their goal rather well. In particular, tracks like "Frontiers" which start off hitting quite hard and then cede to some of the most memorable, developed calm sequences where those airy, polished vocals are most welcome.

In fact, there's probably an EP's worth in here which would stand alongside Omnium Gatherum's strongest material, but that largely inhabits the middle and end of the album, and you've got to make it through a couple less inspired openers to get there. Much of the melodic component is simple, pop oriented and predictable, but that doesn't diminish its catchy nature once it arrives. The drums and guitars sound about as up front as you'd want for such a mainstream friendly mix, but there's still a little dynamic range in how some of the lighter guitar leads stand out against their supports. I do think there's an issue of relevance with this style in the current age, a bygone proposition, but then I'm also someone who enjoyed it about 12-15 years ago, so I can't fault a band for sticking to what it knows best. That doesn't exempt Grey Heavens from the notion that a little more risk taking could go a long way to helping refine and reform the style, but I don't think fans of their last few albums would find this a disappointment once they get into the meat of the track list. There's enough going on here that I enjoyed it a little more than Beyond, and fans of catch-all 'extreme' progressive/death metal bands like a Ne Obliviscaris might give it some new life, but I still can't help feel that a course has been run and the niche is in dire need of a creative defibrillation.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - Beyond (2013)

Though its cover might have traded the city skyline for a coastline, the latest Omnium Gatherum album Beyond is very much in the vein of its predecessor, New World Shadows. Trim, sleek, and produced with all the clarity of modern pop music, it represents a new entry into that field of metrosexual, metropolitan melodic death metal pioneered by efforts like Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos or In Flames' often maligned Reroute to Remain. The Finns are intensely focused through every second of this recording, from preening each note of every lead to attaining a perfect balance between the harder punch of the chugging rhythm guitars and brute vocals, and the various glazes of melody created by the synth playing and guitar harmonies.

Beyond is no doubt a concentrated, contemplative recording, given a breath of added variation through the use of clean vocals and cleaner guitars, but I was constantly being nagged by a sense of familiarity, of unnecessary precautions, and of a serious lack of anything interesting or new from a band that has been known in its career to occasionally change the parameters of its compositional style. If this were titled New World Shadows II: The Well Groomed, Less Adventurous Sequel, it would prove an all too fitting representation (or warning) of what the listener was about to encounter. Granted, that description does not preclude the possibility of some quality music, and there are moments throughout this album where the guitars, grunts and keyboards combine into a sublime, catchy experience (i.e. "New Dynamic" and "In the Rim"), but these are admittedly loaded more towards the front of the record. And at a near hour of material, there are just not enough of them, and Beyond inevitably becomes dull, or at best...'pleasant'.

Not a lot of energy here, so if you're expecting the bursts of enthusiastic hyper picked melodies that bands like At the Gates or In Flames evolved from a hybrid of the thrash, death and power metal genres, you'll only be treated to a few uptempo passages ("The Sonic Sign", etc). Vocals are the expectant huge, Finnish guttural originally made popular on records like Amorphis' Elegy or Sentenced Amok, and still used today by Omnium Gatherum's contemporaries Insomnium and Noumena. These function as intended in creating contrast against the more evocative friendliness of the guitars and keys, but there's nothing overtly passionate or creative in their expression. The singing voice is robust and manly where it appears, but the music it fronts is limp and uninspired, as with many of the more 'progressive rock' touches on the album that involve a clean guitar passage with some grooving, forgettable bass lines. The rhythm section is mixed to fluid perfection, with neither the drumming or bass ever losing focus on the central motifs of the melody, and yet there's just not a lot of excitement on the lower end.

But far and above the least compelling component of this album is the rhythm guitar, which only occasionally veers away from its placid, predictable bricklayer chugging progressions used to support the melody or the keyboard (or both). Granted, some degree of control is necessary when writing such accessible music, but I can't help but feel that some added complexity there would have saved the entire album from its sullen fate. I'm not entirely opposed to this niche of urbane, polished death metal where songwriting and melody entirely abolish the brutality of the parent genre. There's something both chilling and comforting about the music's sterile marble and glass surfaces, almost like the idealized metropolitan reality you'd experience in a modern car or corporate insurance advertisement. Cubicle metal for a coffee break at the local business district cafe on an overcast day. Substantial chance of showers. The personalized, observational tone of the lyrics helps enforce this internal imagery I feel when I listen to the songs, but certainly Omnium Gatherum can unleash itself far more than what I'm hearing on this outing.

It's strange, I've got a sort of 'on/off' relationship with these Finns' works. I've enjoyed all the odd numbered albums, but felt only a lukewarm response to the even numbered. This is the sixth album, so take that as you will. Honestly it's better than Years in Waste or The Redshift, two of their disappointments, but the amount of worthwhile material I'd desire to revisit here could fit tidily onto an EP-length release.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows (2011)

Through their studio full-length history, Finnish melodic death export Omnium Gatherum seems to have bounced back in forth in quality, offsetting worthy efforts like Spirits and August Light and Stuck Here on Snake's Way with well meaning but ultimately vapid concoctions Years in Waste and The Redshift. Their 5th album, New World Shadows is the first that seems to straddle the two poles, a good release overall but requiring some patience to absorb, and not without a few filler tracks that are better ignored. The band's move from Candlelight Records to the melodeath-friendly metalcore imprint Lifeforce makes a lot of sense, but the music has not altered its course towards introspection and maturity.

"Everfields" is certainly the most 'epic' attempt the band has yet brought to bear, due largely to the 9+ minute length. One might not expect a band like this, who in the past have favored tight compositions that are meant to grasp the listener with their emboldened passion and melody, to space themselves out. The riffs here are very light, from simplistic chugged grooves glazed over in melodic chords and subtle but solid synthesizers, but it creates a sad, relaxing effect. "Ego" then shakes any notion that we're hearing some total Pink Floyd transformation; it's classic Omnium Gatherum with a strong chop riven through the verses and chorus, yet still sad and rainy like the opener. There are, however, a number of more elegant, pondering pieces on the album like "New World Shadows", "Soul Journeys", "Watcher of the Skies" and the extensive, l extended finale "Deep Cold" (longer than "Everfields"), but all of these manage to hold their salt and not disenchant the listener if he enjoys the mood set by the first track.

There are a few minor missteps here, like the very proggy cut "An Infinite Mind" with its shallow grooves, but even here you get a few worthwhile melodic tricks of the trade. Those that might be disappointed in the general lack of aggression shown through much of the material will be served not only by "Ego", but also "Nova Flame" and "The Distance", which are less than revelatory, but prove the band can still light a fire under their asses when optimal. On the whole, New World Shadows feels very conceptual, very attuned to the overcast atmosphere of the cover, and I feel like it's the sort of album you'd listen straight through from beginning to end, taking in all 52 minutes despite the occasionally inconsistency of quality. The album has a very urban, almost metropolitan feel to it, through the super polished production and 'alone among many' feel of the riffs and lyrics, and if you can ride out this aesthetic to its natural ends, and you don't mind sleek, modern, progressively-inclined melodic death metal (ala Soilwork), then it's worth a gander.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10] (I was never here)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - The Redshift (2008)

Whereas Stuck Here on Snake's Way felt like a more simplified, subtle effort than anything the band had released prior, it wound up winning me over due to the memorable mesh of the riffs and synthesizers. The Redshift comes out firing immediately, and it essentially returns the band to where they were at with Spirits and August Light, only with Jukka's vocals and a much cleaner production altogether courtesy of a solid Dan Swanö mix at Unisound. But the guitars are lighter here like Stuck Here on Snake's Way, and the album has an overall less chunky appeal than the band's 2003 full-length debut.

Unfortunately, it's just not all that great. While I have no doubt that The Redshift is probably the band's most focused, seasoned work, there is simply something about it that did not last me very long. The playing is pinpoint accurate, the atmospheres balance themselves well between the charging riffs and the tranquil segues, and the lyrics continue their journey along a minimal, poetic route that leaves the listener with much introspection to fill in the spaces. But The Redshift is...in a word...dull. Almost every song moves along at a predictable pace, with nary a single catchy melody lurking around any corner. The songs filter safely through the brain and out the waste valves as if they had never existed, almost ghostlike in their delivery, as if the album doesn't want to exist. All of the album's catchier moments seem to dwell outside the metal music entirely, when the band is performing transient clean sing-a-longs over streaming melodic chords as in "No Breaking Point" or the mellow and depressing "Greeneyes".

I'm not saying there aren't distinct attempts to try and lunge forward and grab the listener by the collar, as a good percentage of the 11 tracks is spent in momentum like "The Second Flame", "The Redshifter", "Chameleon Skin" or "The Return", but none of these were able to contain my attention, and the album quickly became a less interesting alternative to the many bands out there who perform the melodic death with keyboards with far more aggression and hooks that sink deep in the flesh rather than deflecting off the skull as a cursory blow. Everything about The Redshift is level, super polished and sterile despite numerous attempts at emotional resonance, and the album had the equivalent impact of the dour and forgettable Years in Waste.

Omnium Gatherum is a band I had high hopes for after their first full-length, but they appear to ever huddle at the edge of a breakthrough, perhaps playing it too tidy and safe for anyone who is not a melodic, progressive death metal enthusiast to pay much attention to. There is nothing offensive about The Redshift, it is not a poorly written or necessarily bad effort, and the clean production alone will probably impress those who think music like Nightingale, Sonata Arctica, or the 2nd Crimson album from Edge of Sanity is the bee's knees. But there is simply no lasting impression. The band is not as wild or furious as Kalmah and Children of Bodom, not as emotionally powerful as Insomnium, not even as spring-coiled with 'THIS MALL KNOWS HOW TO ROCK' attitude as Soilwork or In Flames. They've already written a pair of fine albums, but until they can pen a real scorcher, they'll just have to gestate a little more in their collective, creative womb.

Highlights: No Breaking Point, Distant Light Highway

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10] ('cause the garden is sealed)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - Stuck Here on Snake's Way (2007)

After the underwhelming 2004 sophomore album Years in Waste, the once promising Finnish upstart Omnium Gatherum decided to NOT waste the next few years, acquiring a new vocalist Jukka Pelkonen (also of Elenium) and keyboard player Aapo Koivisto. The changes were for the positive, at least in the case of Jukka, who has a deeper, more interesting vocal style than Antti Filppu, rarely getting overpowered against the musical backdrop like his predecessor. A few years pass, and the band releases the third album, Stuck Here on Snake's Way, which strangely seemed to receive as much critical castigation as its predecessor...

The reason I found the reaction strange, was because I rather liked this album when I first heard it. Even more unusual, is that the album seems less complex than its predecessors, yet more immersive. The guitar work in particular has softened into a series of basic chug and rock rhythms, often bordering on nu-metal levels of simplistic groove, and yet through the momentum of the song writing, the subtle atmospherics of the keys, and the improved vocals, it delivers almost an hour of consistent enjoyment. Lazy and inarticulate it may be compared to the rest of the band's catalog, but the daftly titled Stuck Here on Snake's Way might just be my favorite effort yet from the Finns.

The album opens with a glimmering, memorable acoustic intro called "The Snake and the Way" before abruptly changing channels to the rather cheesy groove/rock rhythm that opens "Into Sea". Oddly enough, the song does transmute itself into something approachable, with a nice melodic lick and atmospheric, driving verse ala Soilwork with some synth lingering against the horizon, but my favorite moments are the muted melodies that cascade across the choruses. "Dysnomia" is a straight ahead heavy rocker that almost hinges on a d-beat/grind rhythm for the verse, Jukka splattering all over it aggressively. "A-Part of God" has another very cool descending guitar line over some nu-groove guitars, the keys emitting a glitter at the edge of the riffing, but this isn't one of the album's strongest tracks.

I rather like "Undertaker", if mainly for how the simple, subdued synth intro flows over the rolling chug riff, and then returns for the melodic climax, and the brief and often proggy "Bastard-O" ranges from another straight rocking, rather generic melodic death charge to a powerful emotive melody wherein the keys scream like some poignant 80s prom pop alongside the vocals. "The Third Flame" is one of the more potent and powerful tracks on the album, conjuring up a reflection of their debut Spirits and August Light, where "Just Signs" opens in a river of clean guitars while we get a taste of Jukka's tasteful, low and clean range. The guy would make a decent gothic metal singer. The rest of the songs are solid, with two of the late heavies "Drudgery" and "In Sane World" among the best of the album, both laden with catchy, simple riffing and uplifting melodic summits, and some great surprises like the spooky, urgent breakdown at 2:45 of the latter.

I cannot claim that this album has held up for me completely in the few years since its release, but I still enjoy it from time to time, and along with Spirits and August Light it's makes for the best of their body of work. I'd recommend if to any fan of a band like Norther or mid-period Soilwork, but do keep in mind that the band went out for something simple and effective rather than some dense effort like the first two, and its use of often lazy guitar rhythms (few individual riffs rise above the most basal of chugging to anchor the synth, vocals and beat) might turn off any who wince at modern metal sounds. The lyrics often involve subtle word plays with lines like 'Reason the real son' and 'the first to aid, the worst aid kit' which i found curious and somewhat appealing.

Stuck Here on Snake's Way sounds solid, with a crisp tone to the guitars that balances quite well with the keyboards, and the vocals are a definite improvement, the best of any Omnium Gatherum album. I was pleasantly surprised with it, and it's probably one of the better (and subtler) 21st century melodic death albums out of Finland, barring the highlights of a few other bands like Kalmah, Norther and Mors Principium Est.

Highlights: Into Sea, The Third Flame, Drudgery, In Sane World, Spiritual

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (do you want to be rescued)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - Years in Waste (2004)

My first impression upon listening to Omnium Gatherum's 2nd full length offering was something akin to 'damn, it didn't take that train long to run off its tracks'. A good example of promise and momentum gone sour and sluggish, the album seemed a mere mix of boxy, heavier guitars than its predecessor, and brief segues of the keyboard tinted progressive metal that the band had been whittling away on the previous two releases. I've since gone back to the album a few times, hoping there was something I missed, and while I've come to appreciate a few of the songs, no really deep connection can be made.

But perhaps in titling the album Years in Waste, the band were attempting to warn us that it would be a few years until we would once again hear the level of songwriting the band had emitted on Spirits and August Light. It's hard to glean a difference at first, as "The Fall Went Right Through Here" is a strong enough opening track, which introduces us to the band's more clear and present guitar tone, which stands out a little further from the keyboard atmospheres than the previous effort. There are some fine descending synth lines here, and a nice melodic/chug breakdown, and the track does get ones hopes up that the band have at least remained consistent. "Waste of Bereavement" begins with a decent, if typical melodic death battery the likes of which you'd hear from any random band performing in the style, but the only parts of the track which really called to me were the subtle synth textures over the low-down, bridge, which add the flavor of mystique to what is otherwise your standard Swedish melodeath or US metalcore/melodeath bite-off.

At this point you've heard almost all this album will attempt to offer you. "Misanthropic (Let the Crown Fall)" once again tries to hammer you with heavier guitars, streaming octave chords and synth glaze, but despite its fluidity it doesn't stand out until the melodic guitars of the bridge, and by this point Filppu's vocals are almost ineffective (as they were with much of Stealing the Light), especially when he starts his little storm of cussing dialogue around 2:30, which is something Phil Anselmo might do to spice up a track, but seems juvenile and out of place for Omnium Gatherum. "Black Seas City" sees the band try their hand at a more progressive metal overtone, with clean guitars and a somber synth passage that creates a lot of atmosphere before the guitars bristle forth with majestic melodies. I actually found this to be the single best song on this album, and the most emotional, though the vocals are once again a minor hindrance as he just gets lost in the well balanced mix of instruments.

"It's a Long Night" has a few catchy twists to its dominating rhythm, and "No Moon & No Queen" some provides a reasonably epic stop/start momentum and a slew of shining crystalline melody through the guitars, but at the best they both feel like less successful attempts at Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos, with better production but less impact. "Gravesilence" begins with a heavier, Opeth-like pace to the guitars, and it moves pretty nicely until its less than spectacular thrashing verse. "Nolan's Fati" too has some half-decent guitar work within, but there's nothing impressive awaiting around any corner, and "More Withering" is a slower, atmospheric track which sounds like a midpoint between Soilwork and Amorphis, with the exception of the vocals. This one actually had some potential, though it lacks that extra punch. The album closes with "Auguries Gone", which seemed like a pretty generic melodic death track with a thick, Fear Factory riff inserted between some of the more spry, bouncing guitars.

I will say that the mix here is a lot cleaner than Spirits and August Light, and I would love to have heard that album with this production, though I think the vocals occasionally do feel like they are struggling against the far more talented musicians. Though the album still feels like a mediocre step backwards 6 years after its release, I don't actually hate Years in Waste. Clearly the band put some work into making the compositions fluid and exciting, they just forgot to add memorable riffs about 50% of the time. I still enjoyed a lot of points where the synths intersect with specific rhythms, and I admire that Omnium Gatherum have always been able to relegate them to the background without reducing their importance or function. As far as career missteps, Years in Waste is not as bad as most, but it would be a few years before the band could answer for it.

Highlights: The Fall Went Right Through Here, Black Seas City, More Withering

Verdict: Indifference [6/10] (love was not a glance away)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - Spirits and August Light (2003)

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When life hands you the Steal the Light EP, you salvage a few of the tracks from that, go back in the studio armed with other, better songs, and come out with a debut album like Spirits and August Light that is a swift kick start in the pants, rendering you finally worthy of all the momentum and praise you have yet received. And so Omnium Gatherum got down to business and wrote and released a full-length that was the equal of anything their famous kin Children of Bodom had produced, establishing themselves alongside the more promising of the Finnish new wave of melodic death metal, alongside bands like Kalmah or the similarly named Insomnium.

The formula has not changed. If anything, they stuck to the exact path they were headed with Steal the Light, only refined it and placed a few attractive potted plants along the way so you have something to actually look at when you're out on a stroll. A few knobs are tweaked, and the older tracks "Wastrel" and "Son's Thoughts" seem to integrate themselves very well with the newer material, though in almost every case, the songs written for Spirits and August Light are superior. I'd also point out that while most of Omnium Gatherum's covers seem like hack jobs some C-grade average graphic arts student spat out in 15-20 minutes, I have always found this one particularly annoying. But no, you leering buggy baby mannequin albino head thing, you will NOT prevent me from enjoying this goddamn album!

As an apology for the foul imagery, the Finns start with a big, warm hook on "Writhen", a song that hammers along with a terminal velocity even when it takes breaks to layer in thrashing groove rhythms and synth pads. The track doesn't quite capitalize on this one opening riff, but it maintains a heightened energy through the lead and climax, and it's more memorable than anything on the previous release. "Deathwhite" follows with a a rambling, almost Viking-like rhythm that rolls into a lush keyboard-enameled thrust and emotionally elevating verse. Even through such a simple melody, the band clearly showcases their ability to channel emotion into their work, which was lacking before. Even Antti Filppu has improved, with a larger, sloshing slather all over the rhythms. The wolf pup has grown into adolescence. "The Perfumed Garden" is another track like "Son's Thoughts" which opens with some of those jingly Amorphis cleans, but here they are abruptly interrupted by a solid, melodeath riff. "Amor Tonight" rocks out like the bastard spawn of In Flames and Norther, adjoined keyboard and guitar melodies creating a proper romantic environment that plays out like a lost track from Soilwork's great Natural Born Chaos album.

I put my boots back on,
Brought them down from the attic
And they're so nice and broken,
With words unspoken

It's all about breaking hearts! And kicking asses! Or maybe kicking someone's ass after they break your heart. I don't care. This is not The Hills. Two more newer cuts follow this one, beginning with the bounce and flex of "Cure a Wound", which once again delivers an emotionally resonant punch due to the melodic guitar that simmers just below the bridge. "The Emptiness of Spirit" kicks it slowly with some clean guitars under a soft synth texture, but gradually develops into another solid romp through the modern metal landscape. After this the band tosses "Wastrel" and "Son's Thoughts" at you once more, though both of the tracks sound are better here, in particular "Wastrel". "Son's Thoughts" could probably have been left off the album, as it serves no purpose other than conjuring memories of Tuonela. Thankfully, we get a refresher in the closer "It Shines", which is as promising a track as you'll find on the album, with gentle melodies that cycle through sparse chugging and a subtle keyboard across the landscape.

Needless to say, the moth was out of the larva, and Omnium Gatherum had delivered something here that is probably worth owning to the fan of modern, melodic death metal with keyboards. So if you've got gobs of hot love bubbling up between your thighs for the 21st century efforts of Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork, or In Flames, you may like what you find here. It's a consistent and catchy album which remains one of their best to date, and while some might shudder at the pop-like, moody atmospheres of such company, Spirits and August Light is the product of rational songwriting and emotional exhibition.

Highlights: Amor Tonight, Cure a Wound, It Shines

Verdict: Win [8/10] (the spirit blowing the answer)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/

Omnium Gatherum - Steal the Light EP (2002)

The turn of the 21st century saw the neighboring country of Finland steal away the Swedish thunder with regards to melodic death metal. Where bands like At the Gates, In Flames, Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity had ruled the budding genre in the 90s, and some were still putting out some great albums (Damage Done, Natural Born Chaos, etc) the emphasis was clearly shifting beyond those borders, with a lot of shitty American bands like The Black Dahlia Murder stealing and paraphrasing At the Gates songs; taking up the flag for all the born yesterdays who suddenly found this genre had everything they desired: breakdowns, keyboards and classic metal melodies played at a speed and intensity that could match their ever increasing supply of estrogen. Or testosterone! Ladies first.

Finland chose to head in a more keyboard-centric direction with the style, aping Dark Tranquillity to a point but then blowing past them in terms of musical skill, all riding on the backs of Children of Bodom to see their time in the spotlight. But despite their visibility, Bodom were not necessarily the best of the bunch: we saw the emergence of Kalmah, Imperanon, Norther, and Mors Principium Est. There was also another, a little known band Omnium Gatherum, who arrived amidst a stir of whispers after four demos through the later 90s. Here was a young band with all the fuel and fire necessary to make urgent splashes in a world starved for more of this blooming sound. Proficient musicians who let the keyboard do the talking while the guitars do the walking, mature and introspective lyrics, and no real limit to the applications of their potential.

Sadly, the band's official string of releases would not initiate through a full firing of the engine, but a sputtering valve known as the Steal the Light EP, which is essentially just a re-recording of their 4th (and previous) demo Wastrel, primed and polished for the big time. Thought it features many of the characteristics that make the debut full-length Spirits and August Light a success, the band feels a little bland here, with enough solid guitar work to signify their prowess as musicians, but rather hacked sounding vocals and the lack of many noteworthy riffs beyond the injections of lead work. Certainly in a scene that was spurting its reproductive fluids at each hint of a decent keyboard player alongside their guitar melodies, Omnium Gatherum was a cause for arousal, even here. But in the long run, Steal the Light is simply another of those 'pleasant' but forgettable discs that sit on your shelf because you own the superior follow-ups.

To begin with, Anti Filppu was just not that strong of a barker here. He sounds like a wolf cub trying to run alongside a far more virile pack of adults, knowing full well he will be the last to pick from the open carcasses entrails on this cold winter night. "Wastrel" proceeds through a decent slew of arching guitar melodies that highlight the band's potential, but Filppu feels like more of an afterthought, lacking almost any range whatsoever. This is one of the better songs, though, which is why it made it onto the full-length the following year. As did "Son's Thoughts", in which the jingling clean guitars feel highly reminiscent of Amorphis' album Tuonela. Once more, you have a pleasant tune that is simply too forgettable to get your fur flying. "Candles for Giordano Bruno" might have a thoughtful title and surge of desperation in its fastest guitar/synth drive, and Filppu picks it up ever so slightly, but the remainder of the track is fairly forgettable, Dark Tranquillity styled melodic plucking. "Ammo" is possibly the best individual track on the EP, so it's a shame it couldn't have placed on Spirits and August Light in place of "Son's Thoughts", but it uses much the same formula as "Wastrel": guitars that are inspirational for about 10-15 minutes of your life, nice keyboard atmosphere and dull vocals. Aside from the driving double bass, "Lost and Found" felt like a weak 21st century In Flames outtake.

It seems that Omnium Gatherum have always been a band I played 'even, odds' with. I'll feel underwhelmed by one of their recordings, and then impressed by the next. But the pattern started here on the downside, with an EP that is ultimately not worth the time unless you had the version packed in with Spirits and August Light. The potential is obvious. Men gathered here, they wrote songs, and then they recorded them with as much energy as they could muster. But it's not quite as explosive as a Follow the Reaper or ...They Will Return, so it would take Omnium Gatherum a little more time to gestate before their praises would be sung.

Verdict: Indifference [5.25/10] (higher dreams have come to us)

http://www.omniumgatherum.org/