Review Summary: Yeah, Houston... Seabitch!
Omotai are one of the (of not THE) most popular metal acts in the Houston music scene, and play in a style that can easily be likened to the Savannah sludge movement of the mid-2000's. However, Omotai do not sound overly derivative, blending a bit of hardcore punk and shoe-gaze to provide a unique spin on this particular style of heavy metal.
This band is certainly well-versed in sludge-metal. The first half of this album is rife with crusty production, thunderous low-end, shouted vocals, and plenty of syncopated riffage. All of this sludge fare comes in relatively short packages, with the longest song clocking in at barely under 4 1/2 minutes. This keeps the music sounding fresh, since the ideas presented here never really have time to overstay their welcome (although this can make a few songs feel a bit rushed). There is also a lot of visceral aggression poured into these songs, almost an "angry at the world" vibe, although the lyrics certainly don't portray that sentiment (lots of death and decay, pretty standard stuff). This aggression paired with the short song lengths is where the hardcore comes in, more in spirit than in action. It gives Omotai a distinctive sound, without sounding like an lazy blend of genres. This is only a subtle variance though, and the first 5 songs presented here are still fairly straightforward sludge.
After the title track rolls along however, the listener is sort of lulled into a false sense of calm, with a brief interlude of just guitar atmosphere and delicate piano. This song is actually quite pretty, and marks a definite shift in direction for Terrestrial Grief.
After the last piano note fades, that false calm is cut short by more raw power being hurled at the listener. Side B's lead track, "Lurching Away", takes an intriguing shift about 50 seconds in, as the lighting quick intro gives way to a laid-back groove and some atmospheric guitar work layered over the rhythm section, only to end with a similar rampage to the beginning. This approach to songwriting is a good indicator of what can be found on the last 5 tracks on this record. There's some stellar shredding in the thick of "Orison", and intricate guitar interplay on "Life in the Hive" both being supported by the most tribal sounding drums on the album (with some woodblock injected into "Life in the Hive" I believe), and some particularly well written bass lines as well. I was very pleased to have the unexpected 10 second taste of meandering shoegaze in the middle of the latter of those 2 tracks. Terrestrial Grief closes out nicely with "Hollow Innards" and "Yuri", both continuing the trend if more experimental songwriting, and leaving me well satisfied with the progression the album took.
Overall, the second half of this album just offers a more diverse palette of sounds and dare I say epic atmosphere than the first. Not to disparage the power of songs like "Seabitch" or "Spanish Constellation", but it feels as if Omotai had matured during the writing of this album, and it showed in the end result. I am aware that they had been performing the material from side A for a while before most of side B was written, but it still makes for a slightly inconsistent listen (emphasis on slightly). This is a very promising album from a group that is gaining momentum in the metal underground, and if they continue to progress their sound, Omotai could make a nice mark on the heavy music scene.
