Genres: melodic death metal, technical death metal, prog death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Artisan Era, Obscura, Fallujah, Opeth
Country: Canada
Release date: 22 March 2024
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: what on earth is in Canada’s water to produce the quality musicians that they have? We’ve got Avril Lavigne, Drake, The Biebs for crying out loud—Canada, calm down. On a more applicable note, they’ve got basically all the tech death bands you know and love, and Omnivide are yet another to add to the list. Born out of an Opeth tribute band, Omnivide have some serious chops, a love for all things progressive, and also zero previous entries on Metallum from any of the members (save for Marc-André Richard on drums with just a couple), so they’re chock full of (hopefully fresh) ideas and verve. Is A Tale of Fire a worthy entry into the Canadian tech death pantheon?
The riffs and solos sure make a strong case. “Cosmic Convergence” and “Opulence” start with incredible opening riffs, bombastic and melodic and… rather German? They’re cut from a cloth of bands like Obscura or Obsidious more than their Canadian brethren, but they’re straight fire nonetheless. Axemen Nicolas Pierre Boudreau and Samuel Frenette alternate between deceptively simple playing that I’m sure requires spider-like finger dexterity and lead/solo tone sections that are gloriously decadent although never sacrifice their keen ear for melodicism. My favorite track, “Cosmic Convergence” ends with a true highlight solo after its absolutely killer arpeggiated intro riff which mutates throughout the track with different iterations of synth, harmonizing, and key changes. The solo, though, is filthy with its change from fast-paced mayhem to aching melodic section all with one of the best lead guitar tones I’ve heard so far this year. These guys clearly drink that Canadian water.
Importantly, Omnivide don’t shove themselves into a box of technicality, utilizing their song structures to give them a progressive edge, part Opeth, part Obsidious. Several tracks—most notably “Clarity,” “Desolate,” and “Holy Killer”—add in intricate acoustic sections like the Swedish titans, and Frenette’s clean vocals have a Javi Perera-ish lilt as well as singing similar melodic patterns (although Frenette lacks a bit of Perera’s monstrous range and stylistic diversity). A Tale of Fire’s songs never stagnate, though, always working toward unpredictable new heights or lows with better transitions than can reasonably be expected for a tech death debut; they did their homework studying Opeth, alright.
Like pretty much every debut, A Tale of Fire has a couple kinks. First, Alex Cormier’s bass talents are undoubtedly immense, but it’s hard to assert that conclusively since he’s mixed far too quietly. This style of metal needs a more prominent bass lest the mix be dominated by higher end frequencies—which it is here. Cromier pops up on occasion with his biggest moment on “Death Be Not Proud,” but his relative absence is noticeable, and A Tale of Fire lacks some dimensionality because of it. The other major flaw which makes A Tale of Fire lack depth is that the orchestrations can hardly be called that, instead mostly taking the role of a slightly overpowering synth. Omnivide use the choral synths well like in “A Tale of Fire,” “Cosmic Convergence,” and especially the very end of the album as a background to the outro solo in “Stoned Dragon,” but the more “orchestral” strings lack oomph and depth relegating the whole project to feel a notch cheaper for lack of a better word. If some of their space was taken up by a bass, the album would be more balanced and sound more professional.
Omnivide succeed at their goal of making a progressive tech death album that doesn’t stand too much in the shadow of their influences. I touch on Opeth, the Canadian scene, and Obsidious merely as touchstones to guide you toward their sound, but A Tale of Fire is impressively fresh even if imperfect. With more refinement and a fuller sound, these guys easily could be one of the bands to come to mind when “Canadian tech death” is uttered: A Tale of Fire is a great stepping stone that stands on its own.
Recommended tracks: Desolate, Cosmic Convergence, Stoned Dragon
You may also like: Æpoch, Somnium de Lycoris, Virvum, Obsidious, Dessiderium
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: independent
Omnivide is:
– Samuel Frenette – Guitar/Vocals
– Nicolas Pierre Boudreau – Guitar
– Alex Cormier – Bass
– Samuel Lavoie – Keyboards
– Marc – André Richard – Drums
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