Bands that are seen as genre-defying naturally tend to stick in our minds. For me as a complete genre Nazi I strangely adore when bands defy being put into a box because it gives me as a reviewer so much to look at. There are so many little facets to delve into, pull apart and analyse, perfect. I think whether people like it or not those who do things differently are often the more interesting, sure we can listen to ten Death Metal albums back to back and enjoy them, but when one comes along with a completely different angle that’s when we begin to pay more attention.
Proudly defiant French noise makers Finis Omnivm are here to bring about destruction with their 2018 debut EP and release Cercle. The EP draws from a wide range of influences which we will discuss shortly. In this age of the internet however whereby every sound conceivable to the human ear can be considered music how does one stand out from the crowd? Do Finis Omnivm have a special something that separates them from the rest of the Alternative underground, let’s find out.
To start things off I’m simply going to say that I never thought I would use the words Progressive and Punk in the same review. Let’s face it they are polar opposites, but somehow Finis Omnivm make it work. Opening track The Womb displays traits of a Progressive nature combined with Black Metal, Hardcore, Crust, Sludge and even to a degree I would say Noise Rock, something that becomes a touch more prominent in the closing track The Empty Gem. It is filthy, all guns blazing madness that I can barely explain. This is all very well but what is the quality of the structure within, well to be honest it’s a little average.
I can fully imagine myself getting lost within a band such as Finis Omnivm, they offer something new and they do justice to their sound, but that is just it, it’s just a sound. The actual structure of the songs is a little dull, whilst it is executed well there isn’t a great deal of memorability and thus Cercle becomes a touch tiresome. It really is a shame because I am totally captivated by the bands very modern, Blackened Crust Punk approach but the actual songwriting just doesn’t seem to click, none the less I feel that the band are worth looking out for.
Perhaps it is just me but as I’ve said Cercle didn’t excite me massively, at least it didn’t excite me in terms of wanting to repeat the EP on a constant loop. Instead it offered me a sound one that is different, uncommon and not lacking in inspiration and genre-defying splendour. To keep things positive Finis Omnivm are most certainly a band to keep a close eye on, I am eager to hear more and would be most interested to hear a full length release, I think they have a lot more to give the world of music and they certainly stand out from the crowd.
(7/10 George Caley)
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