SONG REVIEW: Odissia - "Inmortala"
Odissia blends aspects new age metalcore, djent, and prog for a flurry of melody in “Inmortala”
Written by JD Walker
It’s really quite amazing how some artists have the ability to reinvent an often-explored genre - it seems as if musical trends seem to beat themselves into the ground before a new band comes along and completely changes what’s to be expected of the genre. The Washington-based group Odissia falls into that category in their new single “Inmortala”, calling on so many different sounds on top of their impressive musicianship that it’s hard to look away from what they’re doing.
The sign begins with a hardcore-esque vocal line juxtaposed over chiming synth and soaring lead guitar before kicking right into the heaviness. From the very beginning of the song, it’s hard to pin down just what genre Odissia might be going for - the song retains aspects of post-hardcore and metalcore in their structure, but elements of progressive metal and djent in the musical execution and instrumentals. The chorus features an attention grabbing (but not jarring) subdivision change, with the established triplets throughout the first half kicking into a more straight ahead 4/4 quarter note drive.
In any song where prog is a notable influence, expert musicianship is crucial to the proper execution of the song. Odissia is lacking absolutely nothing in the realm of musical prowess - this band has the skill of a supergroup. A particular standout on the track was bassist Keilen Williams - he utilized sweeping and tapping techniques that would make the likes of Dominic Lapointe (ex-Beyond Creation) or Mark Michell (ex-Scale the Summit) blush. His bandmates are no slouches, either - guitarist Caelin Graham shredded the entire time while seemingly picking perfect melodies out of thin air, and drummer Deven Wallewein drove the song with style and finesse.
While the instrumental is truly impressive, the vocals set “Inmortala” apart - V.C. Hackett shows excellent range and technique throughout the song, and he matches the featured vocalist, Taylor Barber of Left to Suffer, immaculately. The job of a vocalist in a progressive band can be incredibly hard between finding room amongst the busy instruments to layer vocals and just how to match rhythmic phrasing while not compromising on a catchy melody - Hackett showed that he’s the man for the job with Odissia.
“Inmortala” is just an impressive song through and through. While the songwriting is great and ear-catching, the real drawing factor is the musicianship and technical prowess of the band - holy hell can these guys play! For any musicians in the crowd or fans of highly skilled players performing at their best, Odissia is a band to keep track of.