Album Review: The Offering – Seeing the Elephant (Century Media Records)

American modern metal powerhouse The Offering return on their venturesome sophomore album, Seeing the Elephant. The quartet of Alexander Richichi (vocals), Nishad George (guitar), Spencer Metela (bass), and Steve Finn (drums) deliver super-heavy music for super-heavy times. There’s heartbreak, disbelief, and disaffection imbued in Seeing the Elephant. It will be released on November 4th, 2022 via Century Media Records.

It’s been a long time coming but bloody hell, The Offering are back and back with a bang. Seeing the Elephant delivering a crashing, banging and concentrated slice of modern metal. Furiously fast, deviously infectious, progressively weird and immensely exciting. All of this, and more, showcased with intent on the mentally taxing opener that is W.A.S.P. A massive start for The Offering and the bar setter for what listeners can expect on this record.

Expect thrills, expect chills, expect heavy music, expect wild and wacky tone shifts, expect melodic lulls and most of all, expect utter brilliance. To call this a step up from the debut is to undersell just how exceptional it is.

Exceptional sounds that come from the reckless heaviness of Ghostmother, the ethereal Tipless, and the powerful and passionate Rosefire. The Offering are on fine form and these tracks continue to show their creativity off in style. The latter of the three, is an absolute head-banger and one of the best tracks the band had produced to date.

Although that could also apply to many other tracks on the album. The brilliance of their wild instrumentation and varied vocal styles exemplified by what The Offering showcase in the second half of the album. Tracks that leave the listener in a state of ecstasy. The jaw-dropping lyrical content of the title track, the extravagance of My Heroine, the punchy and energetic Flower Children, and the diverse Tiny Disappointments. The latter with power that runs headfirst into The Offering’s passion, to create a slow burn, melodic and gorgeously concentrated track.

This stunner of a release wrapped up with two hefty numbers in the form of With Consent and Esther Weeps. The former; a rawer and sharper blast of frantic infectious heaviness and the latter; a moving melodic and atmosphere-laden finale. Oozing passion and barely contained anger, the tone shift is exceptionally creative and the track’s eventual transformation into something far heavier is stunning.

The Offering have completely and utterly outdone themselves with this sophomore release. Seeing the Elephant is an album of the year contender.

The Offering – Seeing the Elephant Full Track Listing:

1. W.A.S.P
2. Ghostmother
3. Tipless
4. Rosefire
5. Seeing the Elephant
6. My Heroine
7. Flower Children
8. Tiny Disappointments
9. With Consent
10. Esther Weeps

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