Every once in a while in my sonic voyages writing for Metal Injection I stumble across a record that can only be referred to as "Wonderfully weird." Fungus is one such record. An album that starts of with an extended build, slowly layering in instruments and ideas and meanders gently, regularly surprising the listener with atypical twists and turns, Omega Monolith have managed to construct something here that oftentimes spits in the face of the western canon. Despite this – the band remains shockingly vital, an exciting listen that keeps you engaged, massaging you through powerful soundscapes and allowing you to acclimatize yourself to a truly unique sound. This is a metal record that challenges preconception, but remains close enough to the old paradigms as to not be overtly alienating. That being said – Omega Monolith get so far out there that at times they get a little bit lost up their collective asses, and you start to wonder how much of this record is great art, and how much of it is just masturbation.
I'm not necessarily trying to discredit Fungus. As a matter of fact, I really like this record and I think that it does some very cool things. It's pretty obvious that Omega Monolith have a LOT of balls, and they are willing to take chances that I think almost none of their peers would even dare to consider. There is something to admire in that. Not a lot of bands these days are going to really stick out their necks with ten minute long intros that feature blasts of black metal fury coming over trippy arpeggiated chords. The band brings in a lot of really fascinating elements, the electronic touches that can be found throughout the album especially help to keep my mind constantly coming back to what they have on offer here. The issue comes when these parts drag out and shift from meditative to dull. It's a fine balance to strike, it just seems to me that some of these songs could do with a bit of trimming before having gotten shared with the world at large.
Still – Omega Monolith are absolutely killing it here. The freshness of the sound and the unwillingness to conform hint at a very strong artistic vision and one that I think deserves to be recognized. This is a band who are still very much in the growing stages but whom have the potential to be one of the most exciting things to ever happen to outer sound. They are clearly extremely talented and their arrangements are overwhelming and all encompassing. There is something strangely organic about their combination of ideas and letting them ease their way into your heart and soul is going to be a true blessing. Omega Monolith have seen a future with sounds of a sort that you and I are barely equipped to imagine. The issue is that when they get too far lost in their own thing the common listener is going to get lost. I'm all for niche markets, but Omega Monolith need to reign themselves in and embrace the power of their sound as they move forward.
Score: 7/10
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