ONI – The Silver Line
ONI – The Silver Line
Ironshore Records
Release Date: 13/10/23
Running Time: 28:51
Review by Laura Barnes
9/10
Back in my Encyclopedia Metallum days, Metalcore discourse was inescapable. The party line was clear: for a band to be considered worthy of place within the Archives, they had to be “more Metal than ‘Core”. This debate was, of course, a colossal waste of time, but it seemed to me that its conclusion was an outdated one. At this point in its lifetime, Metalcore has evolved from a mutant fusion genre into a sound that is distinct from both of its parents (Aside: which parent is which? I feel like Metal is the Mum and Hardcore is the Dad, but perhaps I’m being guided by my own unconscious biases. Thoughts?). Listening to “The Silver Line”, the latest release from Canadian Metalcore band Oni, is a strong reminder of this.
Oni are clearly experienced practitioners of the Metalcore Arts. They prioritise melody and big choruses, integrating their breakdowns and harsh vocals gently, as a means of building and releasing tension. They do this superbly on ‘Silence In A Room Of Lies’ – it has rugged riffage, a magnificent chorus, and a riotious solo, and the even pacing of the track gives each aspect a chance to shine. Like a lot of Metalcore bands, Oni write a lot about personal struggles, and it would be easy for these themes to result in disasterously generic lyrics. Thankfully Oni sidestep this dismal pit with skill as they shift the focus to empathy and hope.
The band are also keen provide variety thoughout “The Silver Line”. ‘Spark’ takes a brief hip-hop detour courtesy of a guest appearance from Sueco, whereas ‘The Dread’ bubbles with fury, embracing its harsh vocals as we’re treated to a truly delicious breakdown. Later in the album, Oni takes us back in time with ‘Aura’, a track that (at least in my opinion) harkens back to mid-noughties Metalore – think Trivium, think All That Remains, and try not to think about Killswitch Engage as Howard Jones’ baritone appears out nowhere…
That’s probably my only gripe with this album. Howard Jones is fucking excellent and ‘Aura’ is fucking excellent, but six out of nine tracks on this album feature a guest spot. Collaboration is fun, don’t get me wrong, but there are times that I fear Oni may be relying a little too much on their Metalcore forefathers and friends in a way that gets in the way of the album finding its own identity. It’s a minor, minor complaint, so small it is practically a speck on the horizon – I genuinely enjoy all the guest spots featured here! – but I would love to see Oni experimenting and showing off in their own right.
This is partly why I enjoyed the album’s closer, ‘Burns My Soul’, so much. It’s a bloody good band doing bloody good metalcore, no frills, no distractions. The harsh vocals are gnarly and viscious, the chorus is bolshy and cathartic, and vocalist Jake Oni’s performance rules – it really does sound like somebody is burning his soul!
Obligatory ‘hurr durr this doesn’t reinvent the wheelhouse’ aside, “The Silver Line” is a top notch album. Anyone who enjoys bands like The Raven Age, In This Moment, Breaking Benjamin, Bullet For My Valentine or Trivium will eat this shit up for dinner and demand seconds right away. Oh, and in case you were wondering – Oni are in fact listed on The Metal Archives, so you’re safe to listen to them without the Trve Kvlt Army bursting through your door and hauling you off to Mosher Jail.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Silhouette
02. Spark (ft. Sueco)
03. Underneath My Skin (Kellin Quinn)
04. Silence In A Room Of Lies (ft. Jared Dines)
05. Cyanide
06. The Dread (ft. Justin Hill)
07. Aura (ft. Howard Jones and Josh Gilbert)
08. Armageddon (ft. Michael Lessard)
09. Burns My Soul
LINE-UP
Jake Oni – Vocals
Martin Andres – Guitars
Brandon White – Guitars
Joe Greulich – Drums
Chase Bryant – Bass
Johnny DeAngelis – Xylosynth
LINKS
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Laura Barnes and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
