Oh boy. Black metal and synthwave. I’m sure many of you reading just threw up in your mouths a little bit, but hear me out. It can work, if you can utilize both polar opposite genres effectively to create something compelling that people want to listen to. For example, Abstract Void has released three albums blending both genres together very effectively, and I recommend people listen to them, as they’re a fun, novel experience that so far has not been replicated. Enter Omnikoloss. Abstract Void, they are not. Instead of effectively blending these genres together, they tend to focus more on the black metal side of things in their music, sometimes having synthwave dedicated as an afterthought and sometimes having them dominate the section. And credit where credit is due: Omnikoloss manages to include a couple notable saxophone passages that sound straight out of a White Ward album in one and the result of Igorrr crossing paths with White Ward in another. The point is, their noir jazz works. This cannot be said for the rest of the album.
It’s quite rare for something to bore me to the point of literally falling asleep while listening to it. This album was incredibly tiring to listen to, not only because of the utterly monotonous guitar but also because of the annoying synth choices utilized in certain songs, namely “Elehat0r” (which, sidenote, is an incredibly terrible name for a song), choosing to utilize a robot narrative voice layered over a synth beat and old television commercials, with a hint of elevator music at the very end. While this is the worst song on the album, the other oddest addition is the strangely Yello-adjacent “Oh yeahhh” at the end of the nearly 15 minute opener. At the end of the day, this album is exhausting. There aren’t many blackened synthwave projects out there, but I would recommend Abstract Void over this any day of the week. Avoid.
