Old Man’s Child – In Defiance of Existence
How anyone can call this black metal is beyond me. Even though it possesses elements of said genre along with death, bands like Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, Emperor and countless others on Norwegian soil have long ago drifted out of the “black” classification. I give you “modern metal”. A hodgepodge of musical extremes, glazed over and possessing a commercially viable sheen. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, for some bands are destined to develop beyond their inception, but it’s just the way it is. After a long hiatus due to Galder’s joining Dimmu, Old Man’s Child, now reduced to a studio project, jumps back into the fray with teeth showing. I will say there are some excellent hooks on “In Defiance of Existence”, but the lines between this and Galder’s full time band are as fuzzy as a bigfoot photo. It’s like he’s finally using up the riffs that were rejected by the Dimmu camp. Add Nick Barker to the drum kit (this man is a machine!) and you have one more stylistic connection to the aforementioned band. Similarities aside, Galder’s guitar work and overall songwriting style remains sharp and often entertaining once all the elements are layered over the top. The synth accompaniment can offer some interesting emotion to the guitars, but far too often they come off sounding overbearing and fruity as cheap sounds and a flamboyant playing style takes the forefront. OMC’s debut, Born of the Flickering will forever be the pinnacle of this bands dark sound that has sadly diminished from release to release as Galder and crew embraced a slicker production and more complex way of songwriting. OMC 2003 still has some element of entertainment for those who prefer the technological advancements this modern metal genre embodies. If you can get past the trendy cover art (Norwegians sure like their demonic and bloody blonde strippers, no?) and carnival side show synth tones, “In Defiance of Existence” is a mature and well rounded release. Fans of cult underground black metal, avoid at all costs. – Marty
CENTURY MEDIA
Worm Gear 