Knowing It Shall Wake is the debut EP from the Essex-based five-piece Olympus, who bring with them their own brand of melodic death metal, blending the genre’s traditional aggression with some more modern melodic elements. The result is four tracks of what can best be described as really good metal. They’ve got a bit of At The Gates about them, and they aren’t relying on any gimmicks – just good songwriting and instrumentation.
The opening track, “Knowing it Shall Wake”, which the EP takes its name from, is an instrumental that sets the scene for what’s to come and serves as a perfect introduction to the band. It highlights their melodic sensibilities, which is something that seeps through the whole of the EP. The band have an ability to build aggressive and in-your-face songs around a melodic base that is often catchy and more intricate than your standard death metal. From that point, they take you off in different directions through breakdowns, duelling guitar work, punishing rhythm of the drums and bass, or brilliantly worked guitar solos.
Not just musically strong, the band’s songwriting is on point as well. Lyrically, the album deals with feelings of disconnection and inward reflection. “Emperor” and “Revenant” highlight the lyricism but also the vocal skills of the band; the heavy death metal growls stand up and go toe-to-toe with the musical onslaught. The EP’s final track, “Out of Reach”, is for me the high point. At just over eight minutes long, it’s got everything you would want from a melodic death metal track and feels like they really give everything on the song space to work – no rushing or half-measures. It’s heavy, it’s raw, it’s a bit complex, and it’s a great way to top off the release.
This one is not just for fans of melodic death metal; it’s for fans of metal and good music. You can’t really go wrong with it – four tracks and under half an hour long, I’d say it’s worth anyone’s time to give it a listen. I doubt you’ll regret it. Stick it on and thank me later.
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Knowing It Shall Wake is released 24th April
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