Oracle
Into the Unknown

Oracle that moves into the great unknown with their second album, a second album that is a rather long story especially considering that it is a death metal album. The guys from Alabama released their first album the year before this one so one could accuse them of being a rather diligent band, at least judging by their first two efforts. And their first album is claimed to have been received well and have sold all over the world while the band itself has been touring around the gulf coast to promote this first album.

The press info claims that they are looking to create something unique encompassing many subgenres into one with focus on creating something with strong groove and epic passages. I don’t really think that it is particularly unique; it is powerful death metal with groove and energy while still giving space for melodies, melodic solos and relatively catchy choruses. In a way they remind me of the band Damnation Defaced that I reviewed some days a ago, they play a similar style of music I think. The vocals on this album isn’t particularly unique either, they feel kind of ordinary for death metal vocals. And the album is far too long as well; it feels like they have added too much filling and perhaps a little too little substance.

It opens well, I think that the first track is the best one but I also think that it could have been a bit shorter, it still is a great track. And on the subject of great tracks I think the title track deserves a mention, as that one is a good song as well. It is a good album overall, the quality is good. But it is hard to overlook that it is a very long album, it feels very long and it is very easy to lose interest towards the end. Without compromising anything they could have easily lost fifteen minutes of playing time and all it would have done is made the album shorter, nothing of substance would have been lost. Personally I find that the last fifteen minutes of this album my mind has wandered elsewhere and I often don’t even notice that the album ends before long after it has turned silent.

In the end I find this to be a pretty good album, it has strong songs and powerful production. Fans of death metal will most likely find this album appealing, so if you are one of them I think you should check it out. I don’t really think they take the journey into the unknown, but it is a long adventure and the death metal fans get a long album to enjoy.

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