THE OMNIFIC

I was quite intrigued when I saw this, as while I have not previously come across Melbourne-based trio The Omnific before, any band with two bassist (plus some guest bassists) are certainly worth hearing, especially when they say their musical style is prog metal. Matt Fack (bass, programming), Toby Peterson-Stewart (bass) and Jerome Lematua (drums) have returned with this their second album after touring with The Hu, and all I can say is I need to hear a lot more from these guys. Mind you, I was quite confused at the beginning as it commences with a barbershop quartet by Tim Waurick, and excerpts from Luke Taylor of Australian alt-metalcore upstarts Heartline. There is obviously not enough bass on the album so they invited both British YouTube sensation Charles Berthoud, and exhilarating Australian newcomer Kai den Hertog to guest on the title track, as why not?

Keyboard player Rohan Sharma (I Built The Sky) appears throughout the album, but for the most part this is often just two bassists and a drummer, yet one soon loses all sense of what is going on and instead fall into the symphonic and deep masterpiece which is this release. They are determined not to take themselves too seriously so we do have some almost comical interludes here and there, which means that when the trio get down to business the intensity is compelling. I kept having the thought that of Beethoven was alive today this is the band he would be composing for as it is complex, deep, somehow orchestral and symphonic all at the same time. I would think they are more brutal live without the keyboards to provide the contrast, and one can imagine them sitting happily alongside mathcore legends such as Protest The Hero as they can be quite brutal when the mood takes them. Somehow this is far more varied and enjoyable than one might imagine, and their inventive approach makes for intriguing listening. These guys are taking prog in a very different direction indeed.

[Originally published at The Progressive Aspect]

News by its very nature is new, so novelty is the key, and it doesn't take long for the media to move on to the next big thing. It's not merely the mainstream media, either. Outrage cycles on social media are pretty short these days, so much so that if someone dares to share something after others have moved on, they can be criticised for doing so. Unfortunately, public attention is a fickle thing. Everyone has sympathy and empathy, but it doesn't last, even though relief is so desperately still needed. So when I started writing this review, it was meant to be another plug for the ProgAid charity gig to aid relief activities from the disastrous Australian bushfires., and which while being held in Australia was open to a global audience via remote tickets.

Unfortunately, less than two weeks before the event, Nine/Eight Touring has had to regretfully announce that ProgAid is no longer going to proceed. Despite their best efforts, there was not enough interest generated to make the event viable for all involved, and to make sure that the charities being supported would receive enough funds to make sure the bands who were travelling interstate would not be running at a loss. The tide of public interest appears to already have turned on bushfire relief gigs. There's a feeling that perhaps after the big Fire Fight event, everyone figured it's job done. Well, it's not job done for me.

The headline band for ProgAid was set to be The Omnific, who were a band unknown to me, yet clearly must be big in Australia to hold the headline spot over bands such as Anubis and Hemina, who have quite a following in Europe. I felt duty-bound to check The Omnific out, and I can say I was suitably impressed! I began my journey with Pharaoh 2.0, a new version of one of the band's earliest tracks, which they released ahead of ProgAid. And it's good. Very good!

Fusing jazz, math, ambient, dance, industrial and seemingly almost everything but the kitchen sink, Pharaoh 2.0 offers an almost stream of consciousness musical movement over its approximately five-minute duration. The piece sounds both carefully composed, yet entirely natural. That might sound an odd dichotomy, but it really does work. Though comprised of two bass players and a drummer, The Omnific do include some other instrumentation, but this is sparing and subtle ? small shakings of salt and pepper to add accents to an already flavourful composition. Without a doubt, what you mostly hear are the basses and drums ? and they are a joy to hear!

It would be easy to group The Omnific in with the new wave of instrumental music centred around djenty and technical, yet highly atmospheric compositions (which are generally not my thing), but The Omnific have a tendency to have a more math rock and almost jazz fusion sound. They play some beautiful, progressive and technical music, but without any of the wankery that often comes with that. Similarly, while having two bass players makes it possible to layer pieces, The Omnific do it with such precision and good taste it's amazing. Having been so impressed with Pharaoh 2.0, I went back and listened to the original Pharaoh, from 2016 EP Sonorous. The differences between that and Pharaoh 2.0 are clear. Having now listened to all three EPs from The Omnific to date, it's easy to see how the band have got better with every release. No doubt playing with legendary Aussie bands like Cog and Ne Oblivious have raised their game, but their game was clearly very good to begin with.

What really amazes me, though, is the band's age. I know I'm getting on in my years, and that the older I get, the harder it becomes for me to judge the ages of those obviously younger than me ? but seriously, these guys look like they should not even be allowed to play the venues they do. And boy can they play! Matt Fack and Toby Peterson- Stewart create a mathematical assailment of sharp and precise bass fury, locked in with the beats of drummer Jerome Lematua. They intertwine and intersect, separate and syncopate, and basically dance around and with each other in a fashion that ensures that interest never wanes. Being as young and talented as they are, these three musicians have a long future ahead of them, and I look forward to following their journey now that I am aware of them.