Black Oak Decline
Ottawa appears to be a bit of a dark horse when it comes to music, as all of a sudden we seem to have had an awful lot of bands coming out of there! The latest to come through is Black Oak Decline, and band simply described as ‘music your parents won’t like’, which raises some questions for me! Mike from Dark Side Productions put us onto them as he’s just released this through his indie label, so I figured I’d better check out whether this really was music to scare the parental types!
As Psilocybin Laden opens proceedings I don’t know that I agree with the idea that parents won’t like it, mainly because I’m a parent and I like it! The sludgy backing track which leads us into the track oozes with darkness and foreboding, strange sounds coming in from every direction as the music almost seems to grow around you. It’s Wasting Away where the true colours of the band are shown though, launching us into a sludgy melee of hammering guitars, pounding drums and roaring vocals. What I really liked about this track was how it balances out, the vocals are faded but that only accentuates the raw power of the backing track, keeping you listening and wanting to hear more and more from these guys. Sure, this is heavy but there’s also a serious amount of a funky edge flowing through it, it’s music which is going to awaken the dark side of your soul, and it’s most good!
Nineteen Seventy Four comes up next and once again pits us against the darker side of music, the mix forming one which is going to hook you in, make you listen and make you want to experience more from the band. Raucous once it gets going, this is the sort of track which is going to leave live venues as dust, getting the audience involved and crafting a track which engulfs you as it plays out. Powerful, dark and distorted throughout, this is the sort of track which you want to drive really fast too, there’s just something about it which would work with that sort of blurred vision of life. The Could’ve Been is much the same sort of track, this time opening with that sludgy bass line once again and throwing us firmly into a pit of all out destruction. This track reminds me of seeing the Dillinger Escape Plan many years ago, it’s got that raw aggression flowing through the music yet would work on a massive stage, something which I don’t imagine these guys will be strangers to for too long based on this EP so far.
Weight once again returns us to the dark and haunting style of intro, building into the track through a violin slide before resuming the all out sludgy melee of distortion. The power held behind this track is the key here, although it’s slow it’s got that sense of destruction within the music, forming a sound which could happily accompany the destruction of a building or the death scene in a horror movie. The slowness of this track accentuates further the heaviness of it, proving that you don’t need to go fast to achieve all out power, this does just fine! Closing with In A Deconstructing Manner there’s one last chance to witness first hand just what this band can do, building into the track and forming another mash up of power and sludge, this is another track which goes to show that the metal scene in Ottawa appears to be alive and well. Mashing the final moments into a mix of distortion and power, this final track on the album is one which will leave you a quivering wreck in the corner, knowing that what you’ve just heard has been one hell of a journey!
Black Oak Decline are one of those bands who don’t give a lot away, then make up your mind with the music which they’ve put together. If you’re looking for heavy music designed to get your head banging then this is it, and it’s damned good to hear!
To find out more about Black Oak Decline, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As Psilocybin Laden opens proceedings I don’t know that I agree with the idea that parents won’t like it, mainly because I’m a parent and I like it! The sludgy backing track which leads us into the track oozes with darkness and foreboding, strange sounds coming in from every direction as the music almost seems to grow around you. It’s Wasting Away where the true colours of the band are shown though, launching us into a sludgy melee of hammering guitars, pounding drums and roaring vocals. What I really liked about this track was how it balances out, the vocals are faded but that only accentuates the raw power of the backing track, keeping you listening and wanting to hear more and more from these guys. Sure, this is heavy but there’s also a serious amount of a funky edge flowing through it, it’s music which is going to awaken the dark side of your soul, and it’s most good!
Nineteen Seventy Four comes up next and once again pits us against the darker side of music, the mix forming one which is going to hook you in, make you listen and make you want to experience more from the band. Raucous once it gets going, this is the sort of track which is going to leave live venues as dust, getting the audience involved and crafting a track which engulfs you as it plays out. Powerful, dark and distorted throughout, this is the sort of track which you want to drive really fast too, there’s just something about it which would work with that sort of blurred vision of life. The Could’ve Been is much the same sort of track, this time opening with that sludgy bass line once again and throwing us firmly into a pit of all out destruction. This track reminds me of seeing the Dillinger Escape Plan many years ago, it’s got that raw aggression flowing through the music yet would work on a massive stage, something which I don’t imagine these guys will be strangers to for too long based on this EP so far.
Weight once again returns us to the dark and haunting style of intro, building into the track through a violin slide before resuming the all out sludgy melee of distortion. The power held behind this track is the key here, although it’s slow it’s got that sense of destruction within the music, forming a sound which could happily accompany the destruction of a building or the death scene in a horror movie. The slowness of this track accentuates further the heaviness of it, proving that you don’t need to go fast to achieve all out power, this does just fine! Closing with In A Deconstructing Manner there’s one last chance to witness first hand just what this band can do, building into the track and forming another mash up of power and sludge, this is another track which goes to show that the metal scene in Ottawa appears to be alive and well. Mashing the final moments into a mix of distortion and power, this final track on the album is one which will leave you a quivering wreck in the corner, knowing that what you’ve just heard has been one hell of a journey!
Black Oak Decline are one of those bands who don’t give a lot away, then make up your mind with the music which they’ve put together. If you’re looking for heavy music designed to get your head banging then this is it, and it’s damned good to hear!
To find out more about Black Oak Decline, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls