Album Review: Born Of Osiris – Through Shadows (Sumerian Records)

Progressive metalcore pioneers Born of Osiris will release their brand-new album ‘Through Shadows’, on July 11th, via Sumerian Records. The full-length is the band’s newest body of work following up their critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Angel or Alien’.

Let’s freaking go! Born of Osiris are back, more eclectic and electrifying than ever, and pushing their progressive metalcore sound in new directions. You can never accuse this band of stagnating, but even the most hardcore of fans will find themselves taken back by how much experimentation is going on here. Although that’s not to suggest that it isn’t evidently Born of Osiris and not filled with aggression, intensity, and brutish heaviness, because it is.

It’s also anthemic, addictively so, and early on it’s the title track that proves that. A frenetic blast of savagely tinged heaviness, starry melody, a brazenly infectious chorus, and an extravagant number of twists and turns to the ‘core’ formula. It’s a brilliant track, but so is the serrated Seppuku and the powerful Elevate. The latter’s synth is glorious, but so is its breakdown. Then there is the jabbing intensity of The War That You Are, the daringly cinematic Inverno (a personal favourite as the bright melody, brutish bursts, and choirs sound so awesome), and the aptly titled A Mind Short Circuiting. Genuis or madness? The line doesn’t seem to exist here.

The first half of the album goes hard, but it’s also a first half that shows off the eclectic nature of this band and how modern progressive music has evolved via bands like Born of Osiris. Can it be too much at times? Of course, but that never stops it being a fascinating listen none the less.

Personally, I’m a big fan of when they get more cinematic so even a track like Burning Light, an electronica intermission that barely passes the two minute mark, sounds great. However, I am also a bit impartial to their crunchy heavy side too, which rears its ugly (but lovable) head quite a bit in the second half of the album.

First, it’s one of the album’s biggest sounding choruses with In Desolation, a track also notable for its slow down heavy end, and the chunky thump of Torchbearer. Before the highly melodic Activated arrives to deliver a mighty experience that doesn’t just have a Underoath vocalist Spencer Chamberlain guesting, but an experience that has a wicked guitar solo, and a brilliant showcase of a smoky sounding saxophone. Why f**k not, right!? That’s Born of Osiris for you, and their creativity has hit an all-time high on this album.

No further proof needed than the trio of tracks that wrap things up. First, we have Dark Fable, a grin-inducing combination of ‘in your face’ metalcore, technical twists, and alternatively-tinged harmonies that lean towards that beloved (at least by me) cinematic style. Then, we have Transcendence, a heavy anthem with a really infectious chorus, and finally, we have Blackwater, an epic closer that has great clean singing, jabbing guitars, an old-school solo, and plenty of heavy touches.

Bigger, bolder, better. That’s what Born of Osiris have delivered on this new album.

Born of Osiris – Through Shadows Track Listing:

1. Seppuku
2. Elevate
3. Through Shadows
4. The War That You Are
5. Inverno
6. A Mind Short Circuiting
7. Burning Light
8. In Desolation
9. Torchbearer
10. Activated (feat. Spencer Chamberlain)
11. Dark Fable
12. Transcendence
13. Blackwater

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