Omnivortex are relatively new to the metal world being they came together in 2019 and just recently put out their debut full length in November of 2020, but right from the opening notes one can tell that these Finns are going to be pretty big in tech death world. Boasting a big production, “Diagrams Of Consciousness” is a solid effort of music comparable on the levels of Fallujah, Allegaeon, and even Opeth. The music is complex but not overwhelming complex like Archspire creates sometimes, but sounds like a healthy balance of brutal death metal with plenty of technical guitar work and a few progressive elements to boot. Right from the opening ‘Last Bearing’ one is lulled with the acoustic guitar bits and atmospheric elements before the heavier elements take over. The vocals are multi layered and probably the strongest, most ferocious point of the music. Sounding a lot like early Opeth merged with Fallujah, the music is easily paced but not at all boring with plenty of melody mixed in thanks to the guitars.

Oddly enough, the acoustic/ progressive bits are limited pretty much to the opening track. Others like ‘Cephalic Fluid Extraction’ and ‘Gargantua’ trade any hint of softness for some pretty extreme churning guitar that is certainly more sped up on the pace, and the fast and slow drumming that showcases even more technical work; this is where one can hear the Allegaeon influences. The rhythms are still infectious and will garner attention enough to keep anyone from getting bored and there are even some pretty jazzy moments when the interlude of ‘Cephalic…’ comes around. Other tracks like ‘Barren’ are slower and a little more virtuoso on the guitars, holding a steady, plodding melody all the way through, but the drum work is much more noticeable and the vocals really get a chance to draw attention. For those looking for those repetitive, but ever sweet guitar melodies, ‘Chasm’ is the right track for that. Bass work also tends to be heard better on the slower, more repetitive rhythm tracks, but like most tech death albums- unless it is a Necrophagist one- it tends to get buried in the overall mix.

Omnivortex also know how to craft epic tracks that can stretch on forever but require no long minutes of filler to build upon. ‘Diagrams Of Consciousness’ takes listeners on an 11 minute journey that takes some of the best catchy and melodic moments from the earlier tracks and mixes it all together. Bringing back the spacey, atmospheric elements heard on the first track there is plenty of fast and slow moments here which demonstrates the band’s ability to do more than just keep a mid pace throughout an entire track as a way to let the other instruments shine through. The guitar solos again are the highlight next to the vocals as the album closes itself on a strong note.

While ‘Diagrams Of Consciousness’ doesn’t quite bring anything new to the table that other death metal bands have not done already, they build upon a foundation of tech death, brutal death, and even touches of metalcore with some of the guitar rhythms to bring listeners an album that should not be ignored. The lyrics are a little dark but also thought provoking and present and a step up from the usual death metal themed type but also not being so dense that listeners will skip them altogether and just enjoy the music. There is a very bright future for Omnivortex if they can keep creating music like this in the future that is as inspiring and challenging in the guitar department as what they have done on their debut. Definitely a tech death gem to check out for 2020.

4 / 5 STARS