Olkoth – At The Eye Of Chaos
Release Date: 26th May 2023
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal.
FFO: Hate Eternal, Hideous Divinity, Nile, Hour of Penance, Depravity.
Review By: Carlos Tirado
When I received the promo for this album, I was curious to see what It had to offer. The album had a Lovecraft-inspired cover art, which could be seen as a red flag now since Lovecraft metal is so explored that it could be its own subgenre. I also learned from the promo that one of the band members had passed away before this debut was released. Hence, I tried to be respectful of their work while remaining honest.
Alhazred is an excellent track to start this slaughter, as it doesn’t waste any time and drops some tasty riffs that most metalheads would approve of. The Resurrectionist has a brutal yet mathematical start that harks back to that old Decapitated sound (how I miss old Decapitated!). The Lords Of Kali Yuga is my other highlight on the album, with some riffs that blend more into the black metal realm, giving the album a slight touch of variance in style. Finally, At The Eye of Chaos is the kind of intense bloodbath this album deserves as closure.
A lot of Olkoth mimics De Profundis, but it doesn’t have the same emphasis on technicality or bass work. In contrast, the blast beats and harsh vocals are more of an homage to old Krisiun than anything else. There are next to no moments to breathe with this release from Olkoth, which will really fit those road rage type days. And whilst nothing on At The Eye of Chaos is groundbreaking, it’s certainly enjoyable all the way through. It’s hard for me to give you a much deeper read of this album, since it does sound like a few different bands (Nile, Hate Eternal etc). However, because this is a debut, I think Olkoth still has a lot of time to find their own sound going forward.
I understand that this album is supposed to be an assault on my senses, but the mix is very loud and compressed. Given how relentless it gets, it might be numbing after a while. However, if you were like me in my youth and had crappy headphones, you’ll probably feel that this sounds just perfect. I do also appreciate that the album is kind of short and doesn’t overstay its welcome, being truly head-smashing from front to back! If you were left hungry for more violence after big releases like Terrasite, then give this album a chance. I’m sure it’ll calm down your bloodthirst.
(3.5 / 5)
