Oathean
Fading Away Into The Grave Of Nothingness
6
All the way from South Korea comes Oathean with their third full-length. Being very unfamiliar with the South Korean metal scene, this may be my first introduction. And you know what? It's not a terrible introduction to an entire scene - at least, no worse than the bands we have here in the USA.
Reminds me of the better days of majestic black metal, sounding like a less-dazzling Old Man's Child during their early years with the same melodies of a band like In Ruins. The fairly standard and muffled Gothenburg-tinged guitarwork, backing keys, and occasionally redundant progressions sort of enslave the band to a mediocrity I don't think these guys deserve. I'm sure someone out there would fault the guitarist for their periodic pick-squawkings, and while it doesn't contribute itself to the band's symphonic black sound, necessarily, it adds an interesting layer. Some of the keyboard runs are impressive, while so many more are just sort of hokey and too prominent in Oathean's general sound. They're outright painful, even, especially when they have that mock-string orchestra tone. As I stated before, a lot of the transitions are sort of dysfunctional and seem to take a rather hard turn, despite their similarity in sound. However, on "The Origin", there's an ominous passage where the keyboards actually interact really well with the rest of the music and pave the way for an eerie atmosphere, and this sets the feel for the rest of the song. It's good, really, although I wouldn't be drawn towards Fading Away Into The Grave of Nothingness if I wasn't reviewing it.
I like this, but it feels so dated and it doesn't really stay in my head. While technically a band with the right characteristics to send them propelled towards greatness, Oathean are lacking a distinctive style and well-rounded execution. If they ditch the keyboards or find a producer who can refine them, with time, these guys might become more notable for what they're playing, not where they're from.
