I’m happy to say that the Bay Area boys skipped the “suck” and went for “awesome and thrashing”. This time out, their sound is perhaps a bit more refined, the songwriting seems tighter than before and the guitar work is as vicious and cutting as ever, with the solos being particularly fantastic, as expected. The first thing fans will most likely notice though is just how much Russ Anderson’s vocals have changed over the years. His general tone is much deeper these days, though he’s still capable of hitting some quite high notes when needed. Overall, his vocals are diverse, ranging from a gritty standard approach to soaring melodic chorus’ or the high-end, ear splitting falsetto’s. The biggest surprise though, and quite a pleasant one I must add, is this somber tone he occasionally applies that strongly echoes Nevermore‘s Warrel Dane – at one point, I was scouring the net for info on a guest appearance, but it is indeed Mr. Anderson as far as I can tell. It’s most noticeable on “Swine” and “Inhuman Race”, so it’s used sparingly to great effect. Whether this was done intentionally, unknowingly or maybe as just a subconscious influence is for Russ to know and the rest of us to keep guessing. Either way, I think it’s pretty cool and adds another element to the material.

On to the songs! Omega Wave gets fully underway proper after “Alpha Century”, a two minute intro piece with a building, march like quality, with “Forsaken at the Gates”, a real bruising and barn storming number that should put any all doubts of this reunion to rest. This sort of relentless thrash n burn is repeated throughout the album (“Adapt or Die”, the back half of “Swine”, “Hopenosis”, “Omega Wave”), but they also mix it up quite a bit, whether it be the chunkerific groove of “Overthrow”, the slow and eerie first half of “Swine”, all over the place “Dragging My Casket”, or mid paced romp and stomp of “Immortal Wounds” or “Inhuman Race” – lots of diversity, and always well done.

To sum it up, Forbidden is back, and they’re back in a big way. While Omega Wave certainly recalls much from their Forbidden Evil and Twisted Into Form days, this is far from a simple rehash. No, there’s a new found confidence in this material that shows a band brimming with new ideas, though has certainly not forgotten where they came from.

Song titles for Omega Wave are as follows:

“Alpha Century”
“Forsaken At The Gates”
“Swine”
“Immortal Wounds”
“Hopenosis”
“Adapt Or Die”
“Inhuman Race”
“Behind The Mask”
“Dragging My Casket”
“Overthrow”
“Omega Wave”

No release date has been confirmed at this time, however, demo versions of the tracks “Adapt Or Die” and “Hopenosis” can be heard at the band’s MySpace page.

Confirmed dates thus far:

Nov. 05 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
Nov. 06 – Farmingdale, NY – Crazy Donkey
Nov. 07 – Providence, RI – Club Hell
Nov. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
Nov. 09 – Virginia Beach, VA – Gil’s
Nov. 10 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’
Nov. 11 – Raleigh, NC – Volume 11
Nov. 12 – Jacksonville, NC – Hooligans
Nov. 13 – Orlando, FL – Club Firestone
Nov. 14 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Nov. 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Nov. 16 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
Nov. 17 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
Nov. 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel Nightclub
Nov. 19 – Manchester, NH – Rocko’s
Nov. 20 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

Tickets go on sale today exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until May 28 at which point they will be made available through all regular ticketing systems.