The Redshift is
Omnium Gatherum's fourth full-length album, and it is also their second album since
Jukka Pelkonen replaced
Antti Filppu as the Finnish death metal band's lead vocalist. Released in 2007,
Stuck Here on Snakes Way -- the first
Omnium Gatherum album that featured
Pelkonen -- had its melodic passages and used keyboards but was ultimately about brutality more than nuance or intricacy. Melody, however, is a much higher priority on
The Redshift, which is a more interesting disc than
Stuck Here on Snakes Way. That isn't to say that
Stuck Here on Snakes Way was a bad album; it was a decent, although somewhat uneven, effort. But
The Redshift is more memorable and more consistent, and
Omnium Gatherum's members sound like they are genuinely enjoying the band's greater emphasis on melody. However, the fact that this 2008 release is more melodic than
Stuck Here on Snakes Way does not mean that
Omnium Gatherum have quit being forceful as hell; there is still plenty of bombast and plenty of furious thrashing taking place on
The Redshift. And even though
Pelkonen offers some clean vocals, he favors extreme vocals most of the time and usually gives listeners a stereotypical "Cookie Monster" growl. Nonetheless,
Omnium Gatherum are going for an honest to God balance of brutality and intricacy this time; melody isn't just a mere afterthought on
The Redshift, which is definitely a creative step forward for the Nordic death metal combo. ~ Alex Henderson