OMSQ – ‘Thrust / Parry’ [Review]
While listening to this album, I felt less of a listener and more an explorer of some strange, alien world. Here are the relevant reports, dictated within the world of OMSQ:
Opening with a psychedelic noise freakout and progressing through doom-laden drums and epic wah-drenched fly-picking, opening piece Craving is aptly named, taking me back to the time I kicked processed sugar out of my body and couldn’t stand the sight of even a single Krispy Kreme doughnut for fear of eating ten.
Fuzz and filth underpin second track Relapse – all fierce determination, vicious rhythms, and pounding relentlessness before beginning to fall apart. This track more than lives up to its name. Extra helpings of wah-fuelled filth lead into…
…Soleil. Such a sick noise-based melody thrown up above droning fuzz-synths and heavy doom-rock rhythms before disturbing samples stick up over harsh feedback and one hell of a riff kicks in. Yes.
Noordzee: Elegant jazz? Well, why the hell not? A tasteful and easy-going interval – perhaps much needed after the previous three tracks’ intensity and before…
North Sea – which is quick to turn apocalyptic and slow to build. Hypnotic grooves and lengthy tones turn nasty behind experimental vocals before explosive riffs introduce the tipping point. Distorted whirlwinds and out-of-phase sweeps drop to reveal Transformer-having-a-heart-attack noises – and then the filth returns. Straight-ahead riffs force spontaneous headbanging and it all climaxes amid hectic noise-guitar and a single sludgy chord.
The Outsider: Tarantino-movie guitars, a fascinating voiceover, and a sparse and bluesy guitar solo soothe and inspire in equal measure.
White Suit: Tempo-shifting madness, eerie melodic approaches, and epic prog rhythms combine to make this a strangely attractive cut.
It All Seems: Quicksand acoustics fade in and out.
(thrust): Crazy mechanical and vocal samples blend together and vie for attention.
Värgmitzvah: Hectic riffage galloping across a blastbeat-ridden backdrop, followed by long-tone melodies and eerie samples. Vinyl-only bonus track.
(parry): Everyday crowd chatter, lilting acoustic strums, baby’s cries and folky vibes.
Limitless: Music box samples and thick guitar. Clean and dirty tones clash and throb. Waves of distortion threaten to overpower melodies and spoken word; pulsing eighth notes fall away onto spiky chord work and thin and precise ride cymbal hits. Doom vibes permeate throughout. Industrial riffs and aggressive flams. This is immense.
4-48: Has to be heard to be believed. Progressive doomy sludge, noise, more samples, and precise stop-on-a-dime moments mark this out as a highlight and perfect closer.
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