Outer Heaven Drag Listeners Through The Depths Of Hell On Twisted Debut Full Length

Twisted and brutal, Outer Heaven present a monster of epic proportions on their debut full length Realms Of Eternal Decay, out now. They’ve got a metal feel that’s at the same time very straightforward and not.

On the latter side of that equation, the band captivates the listener through their mind boggling intensity. While there remains obvious technical prowess underlying the work, that’s far from the point here. They’re not presenting some traditional showy guitar solo-centric metal piece with a side helping of blast beats and a bass line and that’s that. Instead, their music is almost thrillingly unintelligible in the sense that there’s a constant swirl engulfing the listener. Their work feels far from stoic, packing a furious punch and going beyond that via their cacophony of noise.

There’s another important aspect to the work, on the note of its intensity. While some remain fans of showy extreme metal like that which traditionally comes from Europe, that’s not what’s presented here (although yes the cover image is quite showy). Instead, Outer Heaven’s work is enjoyable on its own terms, without callouts or callbacks to much anything else. Musically, it’s not lost under the weight of presenting an aesthetic, which can be kind of lame when it happens, to be blunt. Realms Of Eternal Decay rests on its own strength – and that’s a punishing strength, to say the least.

Emotionally, it’s not for those looking for a quick fix. The obvious intensity faced upon digging into the new Outer Heaven doesn’t give way to anything simple. The release packs anger, fury, resignation — and unspeakable emotions that just have to be felt. In short, while some fans might be into angry hardcore bro-moshing, that’s not what’s presented here, at all. The complexity transcends that.

Still, there remains a fitting juicy core for fans to sink their teeth into. It’s not as though the band is too experimental to be enjoyed. They present a blisteringly fast, brutal metallic fusion of noise and riff-centric melody that stands above the crowd. This work feels like a perfect fit for fans of unique and extreme metal – not so much for those still lingering on radio rock tracks (which is fine).

5/5 Stars

Listen to the band below via Spotify.