Born Of Osiris – A Higher Place
Born Of Osiris are Sumerian Records’ new superstars. Label mates The Faceless have gifted their usual spot on the American Summer Slaughter Tour to these math metal crowd pleasers. These guys are superstars. Summer Slaughter! And their new album is nauseating.
Sumerian Records are dead set on giving a uniform production quality to all of their bands, which range from “progressive” melodic deathcore to inexplicable pop punk confection. Born Of Osiris’ high gain guitar tone on A Higher Place is identical to After The Burial and Veil Of Maya’s latest efforts… Kick drum too, and the barely registered bass… Come to think of it, every other mode of production is exactly the same. This is a pity for Sumerian fans; I think they will rarely feel the current of excitement that washes over before a long awaited album is about to be released, because they are getting the same album four times a year thanks to this label. Yes, this is firstly a generic output, but also a thoroughly unenjoyable one. From the gaudy and painfully tacky album art, to the neutered production, listening to this feels like throwing your bacon off the pan and instead drinking the cooking fat. There is an abundance of redundant palm mutes, harmonized scales, cotton candy synth pads, and flat vocal delivery, all of which scream that this gutless melodeathmathfuckallcore revival needs to stop in it’s tracks.
There really are no bands worth listening to on Sumerian, but A Higher Place takes tastelessness to a new peak (I could have written a ‘higher place’, which would have nicely complimented the cheese that is already overflowing from this turd). The melodic nature of the disc ranges from little chromatic riffs and synth driven leadwork that could be taken from the soundtrack of a third rate sci fi show… On Fox. While that is sort of different in it’s own right, that millisecond revelation quickly comes crashing to Earth when the monotonous fucking br00tal shite spewing from the vocalist’s mouth pollutes all nature of listenability. Where is the enthusiasm and sincerity to be found in this parody? Where is the urgency? All have given way to a cold passionless thirteen songs that neither evolve the band, nor even allow you to have fun. Die, you goddamn record label.
(2.5/10)
Hahahahaha @ pop punk.
Born of Osiris sound nothing like After the Burial or Veil of Maya. Get off your anti-Sumerian/anti-core pedestal and stop being such a dolt, A Higher Place is the farthest thing from passionless I've ever heard.
I just find this album so two-dimensional. It's odd that, in the progressive/technical death metal world, the only one where there was no copy-and-paste-the-bestselling-stereotypes-and-get-big-quick subgenre, one has crept its way in, and all through this one label. I do like The Faceless, but do Sumerian have to sign so many brainess clones of them?
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It has progressed to the point of people claiming they listen to "tech" music to feel smart. Unfortunately, bands like BOO are now considered part of that genre.
haha what a great review. even as a fan of deathcore i thought this plus 99% of the bands on Sumerian are complete shit. (Blackguard are techinically on Sumerian which is why i put 99% instead of 100.) theyre all just wanking around playing emotionless shit. no feeling in this music at all.
FOR FUCK SAKE!!!! Is this guy always such a bell end when it comes down to Progressive metalcore. I'm sick and tired of reviewers slating work just because they don't like that genre or record label. Just for one second get off your high horse and actually look at the truth… Born of Osiris and alot of other Sumerian bands such as After the Buriel and The Faceless have all reached global succes and have a masive fanbase and popularity due to the fresh sound that they produce. Infact there are alot more clones of mainstream metal than Progressive Metalcore. At the end of the day, it doesn't come down to weather YOU like the music, but if the fans do, and thats an area which BOO and Sumerian deffinately don't lack in.
It's easy to get more fans and it has nothing to do with sounding "fresh". The more generic you sound, the wider your appeal will be, because everyone will find something that vaguely sounds "good" to their ears. That's why these genre mishmash amalgams/abominations are getting so much widespread success vs. bands that have their own personal identity without relying on cliches and familiar, tired structures and riff types to hook listeners who maybe haven't listened to quite as many extreme bands.
100% true