Last Friday was a big day for Canadian alt-metal artist Oni, as he dropped his most recent EP, Genesis. The EP consists of five powerful songs that are all able to capture the attention of the listener from just the first hook or guitar riff.
The entire EP goes balls to the walls. Heavy riffs accompanied by Oni’s powerful vocal abilities make for a striking listening experience. Starting off the EP is the emotional single “Erase.” Exploring themes of regret and shame, Oni bares his soul to the listener, and the raw emotion that you feel from the lyrics and melody is equal parts overwhelming and painfully beautiful. The lyric video that goes along with the opening track is stunning as well, with images of ravens, explosions, and dripping black ink flowing across the screen.
Next up is the song “Realign.” While less aggressive instrumentally than some of the other songs on the EP, “Realign” is one of the more hopeful and inspiring tracks due to its lyrical content. It touches on what it is like to feel caught up by things that have caused pain in the past while trying to overcome the sadness and reconnect with yourself. I have a feeling this song in particular is going to speak to a lot of fans on a deep level.
The third track on the EP is one of my personal favorites, “Deja Vu.” The contrast between the clean vocals and screams during the verses is fantastic. The guitar riff, along with the fast beat, reminded me a little bit of the style that UK metalcore band Architects uses, which I really enjoyed. The breakdown was simple but effective, packing one last punch before the final chorus began to ring out.
After the intense finish of “Deja Vu,” the listener is thrown into the lil aaron collab track “Walk Away.” The track leans into the metalcore/rap hybrid genre that has been becoming more and more popular in the scene these days, and it is executed extremely well. Oni and lil aaron’s vocal ranges complement each other very nicely, and I won’t be surprised if this one ends up becoming a favorite amongst fans.
The final song on the EP is my personal favorite, the gripping track “Control.” Starting the song off with a slower, more atmospheric beginning that then leads into the song's massive chorus really takes you on a journey. The bridge of the song does an incredible job of building suspense for the final breakdown, which also happens to be the best breakdown on the whole EP. The riff during it is juicy and grooves in all the ways you would want a metalcore breakdown to sound and helps transition into the final chorus with ease.
Overall, I think this EP was very well crafted. It was heavy when it needed to be heavy and had soaring, clean vocals when it needed to pack an emotional punch. The EP was also produced by none other than Josh Gilbert of Spiritbox, who helps give the tracks that polished yet gritty touch. With the release of this new EP and the current momentum that Oni has been receiving in the scene over the past year, I think it’s safe to say that the artist has a very bright future ahead of him. I look forward to the music he will release in the future.
