Omni of Halos Put Out Self Titled Debut Album That Smacks with Grunge and Alternative Influences
4.4 out of 5 stars
Omni of Halos hails from Sweden, and they just released their debut album Omni of Halos which is a 10 song grunge and alt-rock led sound mixed with some classic rock stylings to bring about a great blend of generationally important rock genres and move it forward into present day.
The songs are sonically exquisite, and the overall tone of the album is a traditional rock sound that I believe any fan of rock music will enjoy.
I would say that the only reason I didn’t score the album a little higher is that there doesn’t seem to be much risk taken on the album. The sound is great, but it sort of sits in its own comfort zone which is totally fine, and most listeners may actually appreciate that. I just think I would have liked a bit more variation overall.
I think the closest thing to experimental that the album sees is in two songs. The first being “Carefree” which still has a lot of the lead guitar elements and vocal tones of the rest of the album. So, it does still tie into the rest of the album, but this particular song gets a bit more punk rock than the rest of the album.
The second song that floats a bit off the radar is “Empty Shell” which is probably my favorite song on the album for the really cool diving guitar riff, and possibly the best guitar solo and vocals on the album. If you are going to check out just one son, make it this song.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the other songs or the album are bad…not at all. The whole album is full of really good songs.
I think there are a lot of influences by 90’s bands like Oasis and maybe even some Pixies and Sonic Youth mixed in. Interestingly enough, the album was mixed by John Agnello who actually worked with Sonic Youth previously.
The one thing you will notice within the band’s soundscape is a steel-pedal slide guitar throughout. That’s Daniel Levin who adds the special sauce and reminds me of Eric Clapton’s lead guitar on George Harrison’s classic Beatles’ song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” (For those who didn’t know, yeah, that was Eric Clapton on a Beatles album…)
Another song I really like on this album is “In The Mud” as it seems a bit more uptempo throughout, and the chorus rocks out with the drums playing a bit of a syncopated timing that makes you want to bang your head and mosh around a bit.
The last song on the album “Out of Control” is definitely reminiscent of the late 80’s alternative/underground rock scene spearheaded by Pixies. The talking/singing of Black Francis (also known as Frank Black) seems to influence this song, in my opinion.
It’s a really good ending song, and I can imagine seeing this one live and the band rocking out for the full song and even possibly ad libbing some solos into it.
If you like grunge and alternative rock music, there’s little doubt to me that you will enjoy this album. It’s an album chock full of 10 banging rock songs that never relent in the pursuit of high quality rock music.