OMEGALORD – Hammer Down

There sure is a lot of hatred spewing from Omegalord considering they hail from the City of Brotherly Love. With their latest disc, Hammer Down, and extensive touring plans, Omegalord are set to bring their odium to you. For a band that has only been together four years, they have quickly risen to the top of the heap in the East Coast Hard Core/Metal scene.

Bands such as Metallica and Testament sound distinctive to their Bay Area roots, while Anthrax and Overkill reek of that Northeastern neck-wrecking Thrash; Hammer Down shows evidence of combining both of those elements, with a dash of Euro-Metal thrown in for good measure. From the opening of “Skull Bong,” track one, it sounds like Charlie Benante and James Hetfield decided to write a tune together. That’s not to say Omegalord sounds like a Thrash band, but they have that tonality. Much of the time they sound like a raucous Judas Priest … keeping it heavy without relying on speed, but not dragging like a Black Sabbath tribute.

Other stand-out tracks are “Roaring Through” and “Turn to Stone;” both are more up-tempo numbers. “Darkness” sounds like it will be a live favorite along with “Skull Bong,” with that throw-your-fist-in-the-air kind of bravado that brings the Metal hordes together. The album in its entirety is an excellent performance piece for drummer, Race, who lays down steady, yet interesting, drum lines.

Unfortunately, the disc suffers from the usual low-budget production often germane to up-and-coming bands. Without critiquing the songwriting, everything has one tone. Every band wants to sound like themselves, but this album has Omegalord painting the Sistine Chapel with one color. The work is solid, but it doesn’t “pop.” The drums do sound like real drums, and not triggers, so give them props for that. However, when the guitar solos kick in, there is no contrast from the rhythm guitar.

As for the songwriting itself, there is potential. The songs previously mentioned are solid numbers that hold up well against most anything out there, but when you hear the disc in its entirety, you begin to notice patterns, most noticeably the vocal melody, or lack thereof. There are many parts on this disc that sound like the guitar was written to follow the vocal delivery, which is not particularly wrong, just a case of too much of a good thing …

For such a new band, most of their issues are predictable and common. But what Omegalord does, it does well. Their lyrical content is borderline infantile … but then so are many Metal fans. If you like your Metal served up with some old school charm, then this is a good choice for your collection.