“Monkeys are everywhere all the time – even if you can’t see them” claims OMG screamer Aaron Turner. If there is one thing that all of the members of this band believe, it is that simians are closer to the humans we are now than we think. Thank god that this love for chimps has brought together such an outstanding band.

Old Man Gloom may contain some heavy-rocking superstars in its line up (Converge, Isis and Cave In members), but that doesn’t mean that the “appropriately” titled Christmas is a continuous outburst of crippling noisecore. No, the fourth album from OMG proves to be far from that.

There’s no doubting that Christmas is dotted with the odd short explosion of fury (“Skullstorm” clocks in at barely 50 seconds) but intervening these are pieces of atmospheric brilliance that is expected of Sun 0))). “Something For The Mrs” is the first example of this; a five-minute track of haunting electronics, jungle sounds and someone jabbering nonsense instructions over the top. It all adds up to a fairly spooky experience.

The actual sections of noisecore show just what a group of rock leaders can achieve at their heaviest. “The Volcano” is undoubtedly the best example of this; kicking off with a brilliant picked riff, it slowly gains in volume and intensity until it erupts, in true volcano fashion, into a stunning chorus section. By the end of it, you’d swear you’d been listening for three minutes and not the seven minutes it in fact is.

Those who like this album should want to check out the band member’s full-time projects, and rightly so. Tracks like “Close Your Eyes And Roll Back Into Your Head” is an obvious spawn of Isis-like tunage, and “Valhalla” perfectly sums up what Converge are all about.

In fact, there is only one thing that I can criticize about Christmas, and that is that the heavier sections are just too short (with the exception of “The Volcano” of course). All of them are full with fantastic riffs, but just as you start to get into the tracks, they come to an abrupt end.

Apart from that small fault, this latest offering is outstanding to say the very least, and will no doubt keep the listener entertained for a good month or two. From the almost soothing strumming of “Sonic Dust” to the sixteen-minute distortional madness of “Christmas Eve parts I, II and III (alt version), OMG provide an intense yet atmospheric record that never ceases to send chills of amazement down the spine.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Waking up