These days there is a lot of new music being released and it’s becoming harder to stand above the noise. A new form of Metal is also being created, part symphonic, part thrash, part power and a huge dash of NWOBHM thrown in for good measure. Well up on this list is Osyron.
Osyron’s latest, Momentous, lives up to its name. The album is an evolution of their sound that leaves you wondering what’s next for the group. It’s a natural evolution from ‘Foundations’ and the growth is quite impressive. It’s so full of layers you just want to listen to it again and again. Momentous also leaves you wanting more.
“Wait a minute,” you are thinking to yourself. “Who’s Osyron?” Well let me introduce you to the five-piece Power Metal outfit from Calgary. Osyron features Reed Alton vocals, Krzysztof Stalmach and Bobby Harley with a killer one two punch on guitars. Tyler Corbett, bass and Cody Anstey on drums round out the bottom end of their sound. They round out the band in more ways than one as you’ll see later on.
Osyron is the brainchild of guitarists Krzysztof and Bobby who moved to Calgary from Ontario. A few albums in and a few different lineups, the band as is known today has been together for a few years. Foundations marks the first real release of this lineup. Speaking recently with Reed Alton, vocals, he added, “Foundations is the birth, or, no pun intended, where the band was really cemented. That’s when Cody Anstey joined. We were lucky to find Cody when Trevor (past drummer) went on a different career path which we respected. Cody is a fantastic recording engineer, has his own studio and is a phenomenal drummer. Foundations is where we became the five piece we are today.”
Sadly Foundations was released during the peak of the big pause in 2020. Osyron was no different than any other artist at the time and had to find a creative way to get their product out to eager ears and eyes. Alton, “We had to find ways to be creative. There were no shows and we had no budget to work with so we had to think outside the box. We decided to have fun. We did some cover videos, isolation jams, and the five videos for Foundations. We also had some time to work on Momentous.
The band received one of the larger FACTOR grants to assist with the production of Momentous. I asked Reed if this changed their approach to recording or did they bring in someone else to turn the mixing board dials. Alton, “As a collective we trust Tyler mixing and Cody engineering. All our guitars and bass and vocals are handled in house. We prefer it that way as we have complete control to make it the Osyron sound. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last several years. The drums is where we had some fun. It’s hard to find a great space, good mics and great boards. We spent some time at OCL Studios, Western Canada’s only residential studio located just east of Calgary. We were able to record Corey’s drums. We lived there together for however many days, take our time track and lay down exactly what we wanted.” Quite often Power Metal bands tend to let the drumming get away from them and it’s often overbearing and some times takes over the whole album with double bass pedals and 180 plus beats per minute. Cody’s drumming is a strong yet subtle aspect to the Osyron sound.
Reed’s vocals have grown and matured since he first joined up with Krzysztof and Bobby taking a cleaner approach and adding the right amount of guttural affectation. “It took me a while to get back to that style. I felt I wasn’t do it properly or I wasn’t getting the sound I was hoping for and focused on my clean vocals. During the big pause, I was able to find that part of my voice again and get the sound I wanted. From my end on this album, I made sure I had a wide range and wide pallet and utilized as much of my voice to make each song unique and bring it to another level. That’s what I tried to do.” Well, I can tell you he succeeded. Alton’s vocals are crisp, strong and his quasi operatic range is well on display from the opening track “Anunnaki” to the closing notes of “Beacons.” “I was able to get everything in my head that I heard and everything that represented my voice out for this record. I dread the day where I get to the point where I can’t sing what I want to. It’s not like I can go get a new guitar or set of drums. If my instrument breaks, its over.” His vocals are as solid as the playing from everyone else on Momentous.
Osyron have taken Symphonic Power Metal in a new direction. You never know which path the next song is going to take. There are elements of many Metal styles in each song such as the folklorish melodies of “Anunnaki,” “The Deafening” and the title track “Momentous.” We have thrash in “Landslide” which is one of my favourite songs on the album. It will be a circle pit favourite for years to come. There are even elements of NWOBHM through out the album. Progressive Metal is such a wide arching genre that has many components and offshoots. Osyron hits them all with Momentous and perhaps have created their own brand.
We will have to wait for a tour here in western Canada, but Reed hinted there may be something before the end of the year. They are also planning a hop across the pond for a European tour. I think Osyron will be a household name before the end of 2023.
Momentous is out November 4, 2022.
Links: Official website, YouTube.
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