Chicago based Born of Osiris return with their fourth album, Tomorrow We Die Alive. I know there are strictly a lot of people on TOTD that do not like deathcore and BOO definitely still retain those influences on this, however they also incorporate djent styled industrial influences as well as full on death metal, with technical influences.
In 2011 they released their best album, The Discovery. Memorable songs, beautiful keyboards, coupled with pounding blast beats and an amazing guitar sound. Some months later the band fired guitarist Jason Richardson. He left to join Chelsea Grin and Jason was such a strong songwriter and I feel his departure from BOO, has affected the band a bit, as this is not as strong as their previous album.
“Machine” opens the album with an intro that builds to some awesome keyboard sections. Heavy drumming with the djent style coming in full swing with the drum parts. Some excellent guitar solos, with deathcore breakdowns, as well as Fear Factory industrial metal. The song is brutal, melodic and atmospheric all at the same time. Now these type of genres fit BOO, due to the fact that they are great songwriters and the influences tie together beautifully, actually. “Exhilarate” at the 1.40 mark hits like a sledgehammer with keyboards, double bass, amazingly crunchy guitars and some very nice bass guitar. The song eventually breaks into some clean vocals, which are a hit and a miss on the album. The abrupt cleaner parts, takes away from the overall brutality in certain sections, where on The Discovery things transitioned smoother. It is not until “Absolution” that the first blast beats are heard and really from this point on the album gets better, with more djent style drumming patterns and the follow-up song “The Origin” has some amazing blast beats, incredible heaviness, growls, keyboards and solos, one of my favorite songs, on the album, as well as album closer “Vengeance”.
The production is in your face brutal and crisp, however the keyboards do not come through as powerful as on The Discovery, they get a little lost in the overall mix, which is so pummeling, that the drums overpower them in sections. The album cover looks to be a continuance of The Discovery and is beautifully designed, with lyrics included.
Tomorrow We Die Alive is a really good album, at times exceptional, but at other times disjointed. I think the djent style is a bit much and Born of Osiris went for a little more deathcore with this album, than on The Discovery, and some of the blast beats were scaled back, in favor of a little more core style. This, I feel, hurts the band, however when the band gels and the mix comes together on some of the tracks I mentioned, they shine!!
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This band fucking sucks. deathcore and djent are garbage.
on Sep 16th, 2013 at 06:43Hey Nick-to each his own. I’ll take this form of music over fuckin hip-hop, country any day of the week. But I know this style is hated by many, as well. Frank
on Sep 16th, 2013 at 09:34This album is a real step back from the prior ones. disappointed.
on Sep 16th, 2013 at 16:25Yeah, Erik: I liek the new cd, put really it’s their weakest.
on Sep 17th, 2013 at 15:21sorry my spelling sucks!
on Sep 17th, 2013 at 15:21homes, I’d rather listen to Dr. Dre or Wu Tang Clan over posers like these clowns any day of the week.
on Sep 24th, 2013 at 11:41lol, Nick!!
on Sep 24th, 2013 at 14:59These guys have done better, though this isn’t as dire as a lot of people are making it out to be.
Scene hate and calling a band you don’t like poseurs, though, is really, really getting fucking old though. You are not better for not liking a band. You just don’t like them.
on Sep 27th, 2013 at 08:51Yeah, storm king, I agree with you on your comments. But alot of hardcore underground dm fans view djent and deathcore as total crap and will hate it eternally. Born of Osiris, while this is not their best, are not posers at all. They’re pretty fuckin heavy and mixing things up with the atmospheric keyboards I do not view as a gimmick, it enhances their total sound. But we all have our opinions and you know what that means…anyway, thx for reading\m/
on Sep 27th, 2013 at 12:48