Angry Australia Double Recommendation: OAR and Descent

In my little horizon, Australia is known for mainly two things: deadly animals and Parkway Drive. But with the beginning of the new year, two bands widen my knowledge: Descent and OAR.

Descent from Brisbane are more on the deadly animals-side of Australia. Order of Chaos is what the cover shows: savage, violent and, you guess it, chaotic.

From the first seconds of “Tempest” on, this record will wreck your synapses. Armed with a mix by Kurt Ballou, Descent blast away with their brand of Death-Metal mixed with Grind and Hardcore. Their guitar-sound instantly reminded me of Nails and Harms Way, which is always a good thing. The guitars sound gritty and abrasive while the drums hit in the right mix of crispness and heaviness.

The level of sheer energy and aggression on this record is off the charts. It often reminded me of Nails or the last Hierophant album. While listening to this I have the strong urge to frown my face or shout at random people.

This record is the forgotten firework from New Year’s Eve that explodes right in your face. 30 minutes of grinding your face onto the asphalt, again and again. Don’t sleep on this!

OAR are hailing from Sydney and play Post-Black-Metal you normally would assume in North-America or Northern Europe. The Blood you crave is the second album after 2017’s Sect Burner (which you should definitely listen to, too).

In 42 minutes you’ll get three 10-minute epics and two 5-minute-“breathers”. Those two face minute tracks somehow represent the shining orange cloth on the cover. Instead of taking a stroll along the abyss, they put you right into it. The three other tracks are the void in front or the darkness behind you.

“What once used to bloom” is my personal highlight of the record. 11,5 minutes of Post-Black-Metal greatness including a grand finale that trembles you into surrender.

The Blood you crave is a huge step for OAR. It sounds huge, dark and is bound to be on my playlists for a long time.