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OMNIUM GATHERUM “May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way”
OMNIUM GATHERUM “May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way”
By Lord Randall
Finland’s OMNIUM GATHERUM has never had it easy. Formed in 1996, during the time when the Gothenburg-born style of melodic death was really starting to stretch its legs and take confident steps, original/current guitarist, Markus Vanhala, and co. were and have been fighting an uphill battle for recognition since the demo days. Sometimes great, sometimes good, but always deserving of a listen, the band enters the fray again in 2025 – just shy of the band’s 30th anniversary – with “May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way”.
If you’re looking for the difference between “Intro” and “Instrumental” look no further than the title track [Aapo] Koivisto’s shimmering “Power Windows”-era RUSH keys guiding the band and breeding anticipation for what’s to come. “My Pain” starts off a bit clunky, but the band saves the early stumble, elements of the much-missed AGE OF SILENCE in the close harmonies of Vanhala and lead vocalist Jukka Peikonen reclaiming the day in this energetic opener. At four minutes, “The Last Hero” speaks to the band’s decision to create a more concise piece with the album as a whole, a “trimming the fat”, as it were in an outfit that has never been known to wander aimlessly. Pointed and poignant, we’re led into “The Darkest City”, conversely the longest tune found here. Even so, we’re captivated, mile-high riffs towering over the ever-sturdy Kivistö / Pesonen rhythm section, the latter 1/3rd a study in layering without any single element seeming bogged down or overblown.
After the hard charging “Walking Ghost Phase” (including backing voice by vocal sensei Bjorn “Speed” Strid of SOILWORK), “Ignite The Flame” and “Streets Of Rage” keep the momentum, even revving the engine a bit at times. “Barricades” displays time signature shifts aplenty, but the quintet wisely avoids the trap of needless wankery instead of serving the song and nothing more.
It takes a lot of self-assuredness to close an album with an instrumental; however, “Road Closed Ahead” is at once cinematic, emotionally open and thoughtfully arranged, finishing off “May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way” with both confidence and class. Ten albums in, and OMNIUM GATHERUM still seems vibrant, vital, and unwilling to give up the fight.
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