Omega Centauri United Kingdom

"Black metal is one of those interesting expressive genres that cover a lot of ground in terms of musical aesthetics, but one thing that many black metal bands have in common is the generation of a sense of bleakness.

And Omega Centauri's "Universum Infinitum" is definitely incredibly bleak and cold, and it has all the features that characterize black metal, such as harsh atmospheric vocals drowned in reverb, tremolo picking, tense harmonies, blastbeats, dissonance etc. So, I am sure that most fans of black metal will agree that "Universum Infinitum" is a true black metal release with focus on blasting, tremolo-picking, raw production and utilization of the power of repetition.

But it is also different. There is a slight avant-garde touch to the compositions on this album. First off, the lead guitars have a very melodic feel to them, and not just melodic but also a certain fluidity, which at times is more reminiscent of some guitar work in more experimental jazz fusion. Moreover, some of the tracks are quite dynamic, changing from archetypical black metal blasting to heavier, softer, or even more ambient parts.

"Universum Infinitum" is definitely an interesting black metal release, which manages to both observe the conventions of black metal to military precision and yet be different and quite original. This release should appeal to both fans of traditional black metal and more adventurous black-metallers who like avant-garde stuff.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"