REVIEW: Born Of Osiris - Through Shadows

It's A Day to Remember meets Coheed and Cambria in Born Of Osiris’ latest album Through Shadows, released 11th July via Sumerian Records. In a word, the project is Solid - with a deliberate capital S - covering themes of facing darkness and finding one's place within the wider world. 

Opener 'Seppuku' is an example of gorgeous metalcore, from its drumming to the shredding in an impressive breakdown that utilises electronic runs in the background to prop up the distortion that make up the searching themes. It’s follow up is the first of the five singles featured on the project, 'Elevate': the comparison to Coheed and Cambria comes here with the sharp guitar riffs and melody-packed drumming, and becomes only more clear as title track 'Through Shadows' introduces a choral motif in its beginning before those sharp guitar riffs kick in. 

Thematically, Through Shadows is cohesive, with 'The War that You Are' discussing themes of being in community but not feeling secure in one’s place, on a backdrop of stabbing double bass drums. The lyrics in this track, as in others such as ‘Through Shadows’ or ‘Activated’, talk of being ready for a war but not wanting to fight alone, while the track builds and resolves into chaos in the same way unspoken feelings often do. 'The War that You Are' stands out particularly obviously during the first half of the project for its building soundscape and strong balance between the clean and screamed vocals. 

'Inverno' reintroduces the choral motif - this time, in the form of a nursery rhyme style melody - in an otherwise high energy and angry offering that brings the bass face out, but as the midpoint of the project approaches, original comments are getting harder to make. The electronic mix at the end of 'A Mind Short Circuiting' is an interesting switch up which is well produced, but the fade out that has been used on the majority of the songs has started to become tired by now. Luckily, the second act introduction and third single in the track order 'In Desolation' arrives to pick up the energy, marked with a China crash lead; the marker of a good metalcore song. The clean vocal chorus, covering themes of clarity and processing one’s surroundings, add some optimism within the themes of facing darkness, as well as showing off Ronnie Canizaro’s range in terms of his vocals, as the track halves its tempo again and again before a finale of a growl of the title crafts a single that shows Born Of Osiris were saving the best until all but last in terms of the singles from this cycle. 

Final single 'Torchbearer' is good as a heavier side of metalcore but is not much to write home about, while its follow up 'Activated' has beautiful vocals from Underoath’s Spencer Chamberlain and a saxophone which was a nice surprise, but overall shifts the vibe a little bit to a more party-metalcore vibe which is welcome sonically but confusing thematically. 'Dark Fable' again does not stand out over the solid shredding in its bridge and it is not meeting the expectation of darkness that its title would infer; still a headbopper, that said. As for the final two tracks: 'Transcendence' offers more of the synth blend with the melody foregrounded in the final mix, and the nice touch of the synth hitting half time as the track reaches its end, while album closer 'Blackwater' gives the hook “What do I give the world/What has it taken away” as a perfect summation of the themes of the project, though sonically could be described as non-offensive metalcore otherwise. The use of the ticking clock was effective, but a fade out to finish the project was disappointing. 

All in all, Through Shadows is a high quality project made for those who enjoy the themes and movements of metalcore infused with the technical elements of prog and shoegaze-style metal. The album’s themes are cohesive and well executed; this would fill the void for a metalcore head who is feeling like they’ve ran out of projects, but it may not stick in the memory. 

Score: 7/10

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Born Of Osiris