‘Sexforce’. Pretty rape-y name for an album isn’t it? Well, there’s nothing sexy about this band, but they can be pretty forceful in their approach of proggy, deathly metal. Actually, I take the sexy thing back – some of their riffs ARE pretty damn sexy. This is the second full length album from Norwegians Okular, and it certainly hit me straight off as an release which proudly stands apart from a lot of their peers. Their debut album from 2011, named ‘Probiotic’ (which allegedly had nothing to do with breakfast yoghurt drinks) managed to garner them a lot of positive attention, and judging by this technical musical feast, I can certainly see why.
There’s always a lot happening on ‘Sexforce’ in a really good way. I was sucked in with their varied sound, at times coming on like the bastard son of Ihsahn’s solo work and Borknagar, before slipping quick as a flash into some proper Meshuggah styled riffage. This often gives way to Vintersorg or even Arcturus-esque melodiousness to top it off, but it all works so well together without even the slightest hint of awkwardness. Okular also know when to bring the brutality when it’s needed, and though used sparingly it hits the spot like Molested – yet another Øystein G. Brun project that pre-dated Borknagar. In fact, Øystein himself has purported to have said that Okular are a “death metal parallel” to Borknagar. Even Vintersorg makes an appearance on this album too, adding even deeper connections between the two bands. The music is refreshing in the fact that it operates comfortably within its own lose boundaries. It never overstretches the listener, but captivates with monster riffs, clever song structuring and expert precision.
Vocalist Marius S. Pedersen definitely has a vocal palette which bares many similarities to Meshuggah’s Jens Kidman, albeit with a much harsher growl and an actual “singing” voice (presuming the clean vocals are done by him – as Andreas Aubert also does backing vocals). Everything is fluidly written; take for example ‘Rest in Chaos’, which encompasses piano lines one moment before launching into a technically complex, yet fully organic sounding riff, dripping with licks and extra little nuances which only add that extra spice to its whole. ‘Not Separate’, bludgeons from the off, showering you with melody, dissonance, intricacy and chaos all flowing together effortlessly, before seguing into album’s title track which relies on off kilter rhythms built around gorgeous swelling melodies. ‘The King of Life’ stands apart with its bipolar classical guitar style, almost like their own twisted take on Ulver’s ‘Kveldssanger’ acoustic/folk album.
There really is such range to their sound that it takes an intensive few listens to fully get your head around. This isn’t something that will hit home just being chucked on in the background while you do something else; it demands a proper listening to for its facets to be fully revealed. With that said, it’s not so overbearing to be completely inaccessible – the style of music is obviously the natural environment for this talented bunch of musicians and it shows in the dexterity of its execution. Fans of progressive and challenging music will love this for sure, and it gets extra points from me for their harsher side when held up in comparison to many of their contemporaries.
(8.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
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