Om, the band consisting of former Sleep rhythm section Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius, has not had a miss yet. Needless to say there was some trepidation when Hakius announced his retirement from music last year. Om would most likely still be good, but would they still be awesome? Working again with Steve Albini (who also engineered 2007’s ‘Pilgrimage’) was a guarantee that the record would sound amazing, but would the Om dynamic remain intact? Rest easy, at about nine minutes into the album-opener ‘Thebes’, where Cisneros breaks out his classic bass overkill and the groove demolishes space and time, it is official that ‘God is Good’ delivers.
The most exciting highlight of ‘God is Good’ is not one, but two additions to the band. New drummer Emil Amos (of Portland’s stoner kings Grails) brings an intense level of groove to the already grooving-beyond-groove Om sound, and co-collaborator but not exactly band member (but he’s credited with playing a bunch of shit in the liner notes and toured with ‘em) Robert A. A. Lowe (also of Lichens, hell, he is Lichens) adds what it seems like Om may have needed – more instruments. Granted, part of the allure of previous Om releases was the balance of bombast and simplicity, but getting bits of tamboura, guitar, violin, and piano involved tastefully pays off tenfold. ‘God is Good’ is a must not just for Om fans, but music fans in general.
The most exciting highlight of ‘God is Good’ is not one, but two additions to the band. New drummer Emil Amos (of Portland’s stoner kings Grails) brings an intense level of groove to the already grooving-beyond-groove Om sound, and co-collaborator but not exactly band member (but he’s credited with playing a bunch of shit in the liner notes and toured with ‘em) Robert A. A. Lowe (also of Lichens, hell, he is Lichens) adds what it seems like Om may have needed – more instruments. Granted, part of the allure of previous Om releases was the balance of bombast and simplicity, but getting bits of tamboura, guitar, violin, and piano involved tastefully pays off tenfold. ‘God is Good’ is a must not just for Om fans, but music fans in general.
Review by Metal Matt ~ @metalcobra
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