The Wretched End – Ominous

When you want a job done right, you must have the right crew. And who is better to deliver us yet another work of extreme metal than Samoth himself? As his main group, Zyklon, has disbanded , he found the opportunity to get working on a studio project he had with Cosmo (Windir, Scum) and Nils Fjellström (Dark Funeral) since 2008 and finally offer us “Ominous”.

Mainly mid-tempo (although not lacking its share of blasts), “Ominous” is a death/thrash album of great quality. Samoth and Cosmo on guitars make a great team, both on rhythm guitars and on putting out great and melodic leads. And because for Samoth blood is thicker than water, here and there you will find small traces of black metal riffing, yet not much as to alter the clear thrash orientation of this album. The rhythm section is really tight, thanks to the experience of both Cosmo and Nils (bass guitars and drums respectively). And as the vocalist, Cosmo really delivers. He is the right man for the job. He sounds angry and provocative, as he should. Maybe after a few listens, you could find him a bit monotonous and lacking a diverse vocal style, but that is not a requirement here. Aggressive is the key word. The Wretched End are not Opeth.

“Ominous” is a great album which is a must-have for die-hard fans of Samoth and his fellows, and it’s worth a listen by death/thrash addicts. Good friendly violent fun is guaranteed.