Owler – Waves (2015)

Hailing from Finland, today we have a band that perfectly combines elements from Post-Rock/Post-Metal with traditional Finish Melodic Death Metal. Delivering over 25 minutes of melancholic music, this band could be described as a mixture of The Man Eating Three with Before the Dawn.

The EP starts with the lush “Throes”, a track filled with melancholic clean vocals and dreamy guitars. At first glance, the guitars seem a bit heavier than usual for this type of music, but they do an effective job at preparing the listener for what is to come. As “Distance” kicks off we are instantly reminded of Before the Dawn during their “Soundscape of Silence” years. The mixture of growls and clean vocals is very effective and they perfectly contrast the ethereal keyboards and weeping guitars.

Things turn darker and heavier with the Swallow the Sun-esque “Sun”, a six minute piece that is quite aggressive, but perfectly follows the album progression. The band’s quite talented in crafting heavy tracks around melancholic guitars, showcasing yet again their songwriting skills. Closing with the mellow brutality of “Reckoning”, we are reminded of Insomnium and their keen balance of aggression and melody.

Overall, “Waves” showcases a very promising band that while constantly compared to others, they are carving their own path with very unique music. All tracks in this release have a cohesive sound, which identifies Owler. Perfectly geared towards fans of melancholic heavy music, this EP will give you a little taste of the band’s skills and will put them on your radar.

Label: Self-Released

Release: September 28th, 2015

Genre: Post-Rock/Post-Metal/Melodic Death Metal

Country: Finland