The opening 30 seconds of this latest <OPUS> offering threw me in a totally different direction than I expected. In a fight, that would have been bad; but in the case of music, I like being sucker-punched, it’s what keeps me interested.
When I think of <OPUS>, I think of post-rocky instrumental buildups, and nice menacing heavy riffs. In this release, we find an <OPUS> pushing more poppy hooks into their tapestry. In some cases, bands doing this can seem a little bit forced; luckily for us, it just enriches the already impressive arsenal I’ve come to expect from the band.
The EP also throws in some unexpected instrumentation. Most notably to me are the additions of acoustic guitar, piano, and some really nice synthy loops, which may or may not be an influence of engineer Dave Smith from the ‘proggothtastic’ Season’s End.
This is a real step forward for the band, and I hope it doesn’t take them quite as long to follow it up, as it did to release this.
…and did I mention it’s free? Go and get it now.
Ken Eakins
<OPUS> on Myspace
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