Album Review: The Osedax – Meridians (Self Released)

Virginia is a hotspot for bands moving within sludgy circles, but one band who excel within the newer class are The Osedax. Named after a bone-burrowing deep sea worm, their music is similarly infectious as it worms its way into your system. Now on their third major release, Meridians, the group push their blend of atmospheric sludge/doom/post-metal to new heights.

Meridians will be released on January 17th 2020.

What a unique offering The Osedax have for us here. A four-track epic that combines the best of the sludge and post metal worlds, merging them together to create something truly interesting.

It begins with atmospheric depth (Offen) but erupts into a harsh and probing level of noise. A transcendent combination of monstrous intensity and glorious other-worldliness, minutes passing in seconds.

Dark and foreboding yet somewhat comforting at first, Beacon/Ox Eye really comes to life about the 4-minute mark. The growing growl of feedback dissipates into a ferocious wailing level of heaviness and speed. Ugly and indiscernible, it drives forward with power before slowly dragging itself back resulting in a phenomenal 15 minute long listen.

Not looking to be out done, White Horse/Tempest comes in at just over 13 minutes long. Spending nearly 5 minutes building atmospheric noise to the point where the mind just starts to melt. It’s atmospheric, yes but it does go on a bit too long. Especially when The Osedax just erupt like a boil that has been picked at. What was once foreboding and dark is now savage chaos. Even when it slows down to a crawl, it’s still so very intense.

Finally on what can certainly be called a unique album, Ratlines sticks to the formula as echoing sounds and the soft plucking of a string calms things down. Unlike elsewhere on the album, there is no eruption. Instead The Osedax just plays Meridians out with this and it’s somewhat disappointing even if the album as a whole is an impressive listen.

The Osedax – Meridians Full Track Listing:

1. Offen
2. Beacon/Ox Eye
3. White Horse / Tempest
4. Ratlines

Links

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