Raging metallic Metalcore master Jake Oni and his partners in crime producer Josh Wilbur (Megadeth, Trivium, Gojira) and Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton return with their sophomore album ‘Loathing Light’ and it is an absolute beast of a recording.
The album features guest appearances by Iggy Pop & Randy Blythe on ‘Secrets’ and City Morgue on ’War Ender’. But the quality within would stand the test of time regardless of dropping names in amongst the hefty barrage that ONI delivers across these 10 beauties. The album rips open with a blistering track in ‘The Lie’ and whilst it simply tears at your flesh from the off, its melodic hook is apparent from the get-go, pulling you into its aggressive beauty and powerful musicianship.
‘Against My Sins’ mellow start is short-lived as the guitars kick in after a brief teaser of melancholic intrigue, but as soon as the wall of distortion lands upon you, you are reminded that this is an ONI album and hefty sonic contrasts are there to keep the listener on their toes and engaged throughout. Our first guest appearance lands on the third track with Iggy Pop & Randy Blythe delivering a savage performance with one of the album’s stand-out tracks, the brutality sits beautifully against the track’s momentous chorus which is like a gargantuan earworm chomping at your brain. Fierce guitar playing with hefty breakdowns just makes for a totally immersive tune from start to finish.
The good news is, it doesn’t stop there, track after track you feel the full force of ONI reminding everyone why his debut album Ironshore way back in 2014 was so highly regarded. Sharing stages with Gojira, Code Orange, Children Of Bodom, and Death Angel, making stops at festivals in North America and Europe headlined by the likes of Rob Zombie, KISS, Scorpions, and Korn. Jake built upon his creative strengths with fearless ambition in a shockingly short amount of time. He executive produced Mark Morton’s debut solo album Anesthetic and co-wrote “Cross Off” with Morton, producer Josh Wilbur, and the late Chester Bennington. “Cross Off” was a Top 10 song on Active Rock radio for 5 weeks and peaked at #6. ONI’s 2019 single “Alone” racked up over 1.3M spins on Spotify alone.
Now in 2022 ONI returns with an album so musically rich it is hard to fathom, the album’s second collaboration ‘War ender’ with City Morgue brings the noise to another level, showcasing ONI’s versatility as a musical force as he delivers a brutal performance alongside City Morgue that will turn heads for sure. There are a fluid versatility across the album that will enhance ONI’s reputation for sure, highly melodic rocker tunes delivered with a weight that will command the respect of the heavier fanbase yet keep those who need that sonic melody to keep them engaged equally happy, its a hard one to balance but works so well across the recording, absolute brutal savagery all wrapped up in beautifully composed bangers. I can only imagine the intensity live of these tracks, they are going to be absolute ragers live.
This is one killer album, from start to finish there isn’t a bad track on it, you’ll need to hit that play button to understand that for yourselves, take the time, get it on your playlist, give it a spin and you’ll get it, and you’ll thank me.
ONI – Loathing Light is out now courtesy of Ironshore Records.
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