Miss Mahumodo? Try this...
Owing To This formed in early 2003, releasing demo EP 'An Awkward Silence' in August of that year before swiftly following it up with the 'Aurora' EP in November – a release that featured an early version of 'Blue Light (backs me)', which appears in re-worked form here. The turning point came with the release of the 'Sheislife' EP (the title track of which also finds its way onto this record), as this not only earned them tour slots with the likes of Eden Maine, November Coming Fire and Johnny Mental, but also brought them to the attention of Copro Productions. This resulted in the band signing to Copro's Casket Music label, to then spend an entire month in the capable hands of Nick Hemingway at Philia Studios (home to recordings by earthtone9 and Stampin Ground). The band state quite categorically that they are a hardcore band, despite listing influences of such diverse sources as Converge, Sigur Ros and Neurosis – the last one is quite interesting, but the other two seem to be par for the course.
It's become a sign of the times that almost everything that arrives on my desk nowadays is yet more aggressive hardcore. In nature, all life (man excluded of course) exists in a state of equilibrium – if a population reaches a certain size then it will be unable to support itself, and will therefore decline until it reaches a sustainable level once more. Hardcore is in danger of suffering a catastrophic collapse similar to the one that practically wiped out nu-metal a few years ago, and whilst I find hardcore eminently more listenable than the predictable machismo stylings of rap-metal, it's now got the point where supply has far outstripped demand – there are too many bands cashing in on a trend that simply aren't good enough.
I'm pleased to report that Owing To This are in no way short of the mark. I wouldn't even really call them a hardcore band. The foreboding acoustic intro to opener 'Sheislife' gives way to a crashing wave of avant-garde noise as OTT (a relevant if accidental acronym) erupt into life, unleashing slabs of epic metallic riffage with an eastern flavour that fans of the short-lived Mahumodo will instantly recognise. Chris Walsh's tortured vocals are distorted to within an inch of their life; a torrent of rasping screams that grate against the beautifully crisp guitar work. With an average running time of over 7 minutes, the songs are both expansive and adventurous, although the majority follow a similar pattern of opening with a clean and melodic intro before exploding into destructive chaos. The harmonious instrumental interlude of 'Until Daybreak, When The Shadows Flee Away' calms the storm before 'Above Every Fire'; by far the heaviest song on the album (there's no gentle build-up here, it just shit-kicks right from the word go), assaults the senses with a vehemous incineration of malice and discontent. The only slightly iffy part of the album is an ill-advised bridge on 'Feather Caligraphy', that skirts a little too close to Limp Bizkit (or to be slightly kinder, Number One Son) territory for comfort.
This minor blemish aside, OTT have succeeded in creating an album of majestic scope and vision, showing that while hardcore may be nearing the end of its popular shelf life, there's still life in the old dog yet.