OMNIVIDE - A Tale of Fire

OMNIVIDE

Album: A Tale of Fire

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Release Date: March 22nd, 2024

Country: Canada

Label: Self-Released

Band Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

‘Omni’ has a rich history of excellence in metal band & album names, from Omnium Gatherum and Omnivortex, to Obscura’s Omnivium and Devin Townsend’s Ziltoid the Omniscient. This year, Canada’s OMNIVIDE seek to add another page to this onomastic history with their debut album "A Tale of Fire".

The best way I can describe their sound is an invigorating mix of Obscura and Opeth with prominent symphonic/keyboard elements - so it wasn’t particularly surprising to learn that the band’s original genesis was from an Opeth tribute band.

Despite the band’s origins though, the Obscura influence is probably more prominent in their sound overall. Furious sweep-picked leads and melodic techy riffing on extended range guitars, pummelling yet dynamic drums and mid-range throaty growls are foundational elements in most of the songs. The Opeth influence predominantly arises in the acoustic sections, utilising arpeggiated minor chords and soft keys (‘Clarity’, ‘Holy Killer’), though occasionally in the heavier riffing as well (‘Clarity’). Given the clear influences though, does the album do enough to carve its own niche?

For me, it absolutely does. Although the influences are apparent, there’s a feeling of freshness in how they’re combined. A significant contributor to that feeling is Samuel Lavoie’s keyboard playing. While some of his contributions are typical for the style (symphonic intros/outros, accentuating guitar chords), I love the classic Prog Metal influence he provides to the band‘s sound at times, adding extra melodic layering (‘Opulence’), trade-off shreddy solos (‘A Tale of Fire’), or harmonising with guitar melodies and leads (‘Desolate’).

A further distinguishing aspect of their sound I’ve enjoyed is Samuel Frenette’s clean vocals. Bands in this style often lean away from prominent use of clean vocals but they feature in a number of songs (‘Cosmic Convergance’, ‘Death Be Not Proud’, ‘Stoned Dragon’) and are well executed, providing another element of melodic variety that contributes to the album’s excellent pacing. It also helps that the songs are just damn good. The melodies are memorable and the transitions between sections flow pretty naturally, giving an exciting and varied feel from moment to moment.

Some of these aspects that are most distinguishing about "A Tale of Fire" come together on my favourite song on the album (currently at least!), ‘Cosmic Convergance’, which features an inspired arpeggiated guitar melody and an astrophysics-inspired lyrical concept that builds to a particularly violent conclusion. Closer ‘Stoned Dragon’, which has its lyrics reflected in the gorgeous album art, is also a particular stand-out, starting with a pensive & moody feel, building to an aggressive mid-section and concluding with a pair of bluesy/shred guitar solos adorned with synths.

With "A Tale of Fire", OMNIVIDE have crafted a bold, layered and compelling debut album marking themselves as a worthy addition to the Heavy Metal ‘Omni’ bands/albums and to the thriving Death Metal scene in Canada. Through clever songwriting and outstanding musicianship (seriously, check out the band’s 'Opulence' playthrough), they combine elements familiar to the genre in an engrossing way that rewards repeat listens. It may still be early in the year, but OMNIVIDE have put forth a very strong entry for Tech/Prog Death in 2024.

Written by Lloyd