Metal Reviews

Ossifer - Still - Song Review - Post-Modern Djent Metal from Austin, Texas, USA

Today, I delve into the dark world of another boundary-pushing project, a post-modern djent metal band, Ossifer, hailing from Austin, Texas, USA. Their second single, "Still," was released on March 10, 2023, which nevertheless has more than enough for us to characterize the band and talk about their potential.

OSSIFER - Still (Visualizer)

"Still" is the second single release by OSSIFER, an emerging post-doom metal trio from Austin, TX.

After taking some time off from my reality, today, the first day that I started to feel better, decided to write about this very special project; Ossifer. In their music, the Texan collective showcases what could be considered the most valuable trait in music: a recognizable and unique concept. Their second single, "Still," was an impressive experience when I listened to it for the first time (a few months ago), on the second, the third, and still feels exciting today after all this time.

First and foremost, we all should keep in mind that the collective is still at the very beginning of their careers, and their latest single, "Still," is only their second song so far. The musical concept sits on a cinematic foundation, that sounded to me as if it belongs to a music producer rather than just performing artists. They blend post-modern elements such as heavy ambiance, and dark, evil vibes, and follow this idea with composition and instrumentation. The energy of the song made me imagine The Matrix, and how it would look and sound if it was filmed today.

The drop-tuned djent metal guitars provide the necessary foundation together with the complex rhythmic pattern of the drums, specifically crafted for the concept of "Still." Although both individually carry humanly feelings, they made me envision technical patterns within a robotic theme, rather than these ideas being founded and recorded while jamming. In this way, the instrumentation incorporates doom, death, sludge, progressive, and djent metal influences in its musical origins, while the composition maintains the connection with our physical world for its familiar structure.

Moreover, the vocalist played a decisive role in my experiences with her fundamental role in Ossifer's foundation, the last significant piece in their character if not the most. Apart from being a good vocalist with a talent for singing, her performances stood out to me for two main factors. Firstly, her adopted role that incorporates seamlessly with the dark post-apocalyptic world of Ossifer is simply fantastic. She balances everything while bringing all the necessary vitality for this robotic music to make a significant impact, indefinitely distinguishing Ossifer from other post-modern bands out there. Secondly, her voice, style, and musicality have an undeniable effect on the outcome as the only human element in the Ossifer world, and her melodies don’t follow any traditional examples.

Lastly, the technical part of the work has impressive standards if not world-class. Although it might sound overly processed and electronic for some metal listeners, it wouldn't be possible for this music to make an impact without the producer's expertise. Ossifer deserves all the respect for their approach and execution, carrying high-end music production standards with a visionary concept that is a perfect fit for movies and video games with a post-modern theme.

Ossifer, playing livePhoto credit: Unknown

On the other side of the coin, I don’t have anything negative to mention, except the fact that everything now depends on the band’s consistency. Their second song exceeded my expectations, and now you genuinely expect much more from the upcoming. It won’t be easy to continue satisfying listeners all the time, but nevertheless, they have all the potential to make it bigger.

Ossifer, band photoPhoto credit: Unknown

In conclusion, "Still" earned its place in our Strongly Recommended Metal category, as it earned my appreciation for their impressive, stylish, and conceptual job. Dark and evil vibes in a post-apocalyptic cinematic concept, incorporating doom, sludge, djent and modern metal with evil robotic guitars and hallucinating melodic female vocals. Thank you for reading.