It's only when a band releases a great album that it puts their other works into context. I quite liked some of the jams on "Christmas" and "NO", but felt those were lesser works from OMG that dragged a bit. "Seminar II" was an intrepid piece of experimental metal and I felt it had a good album's worth of successful tries on it. The same energy and professionalism that sprinkled the stronger parts of that album are on display here from cover to cover. r"The Lash" takes the same type of Godspeed-esque buildup from "Roar of the Forest..." "Only Dogs Hear..." and "Jaws of the Lion" on their second album and does it better, essentially, culminating in a finishing jam that's in my top 5 for this band. Then leading into the Cave-In like "Never Enter" very nicely.r"Eden's Gate" is easily the most engaging intro for OMG, rocking as hard and profoundly as "Branch Breaker" but for 7 minutes in a fully fleshed out, well-developed suite of a song. r"Simia Dei" takes the best idea from "NO", the epic ISIS-like buildup at the end of "To Carry the Flame", ditching the rest of the song and going straight for it for 3 minutes. rThe result of all this is the most concise album from OMG. Certainly their most accessible, and one of--if not their best. The only fault I'd tack it with is that it's a bit safe and lacks the vision of "Seminar III". But that's where Disc 2 happily steps in.
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