OSMED: “TERRITORY OF WARFARE”

 

(This is Vonlughlio’s review of the new album by OSMED from Jakarta, Indonesia, which was released this past weekend.)

It’s a Saturday and a great day to spend with the family and to plan for the small write-ups I have to do.  So in the midst of such planning I logged into FB and discovered that Brute Productions (a label based in Bangkok, Thailand) had released Territory of Warfare, the debut album by an Indonesian band (from Jakarta in West Java) named OSMED. And so yours truly stopped what he was doing and went in to listen to the release on Bandcamp. Twenty-eight minutes later, I bought the CD on the spot.

I’ve been waiting for this debut since the band’s 2015 EP Ultimate of Realms Ruination, which was released via Endless Torture Records and ended up on my list of favorite EP’s of that year here at NCS. After that they released a promo, and then silence. When I read the news that the album had finally arrived, I was really excited to see what this effort would sound like. And after I finished listening to it, I decided to revisit the EP and the promo, as a way of seeing how the band’s sound had evolved, for better or worse.

 

 

In the case of OSMED, they maintained the structure within their songs that I had enjoyed in their earlier releases, but now with a better production (especially with the guitars) that has given more depth to their sound. It’s more polished, and even within the raw and natural mix that I like, you can hear all the instruments clearly and without them overshadowing each other. They also included the song “Antithesis” from the EP on the album, and holy shit, I love it more now.

They have done a great job capturing a sound that is clearly IDDM and have strengthened my passion for the Indonesian BDM scene. There are a lot of bands who sound the same and eventually just fade away, but not OSMED. With this debut album they have created something unique and made me a fan for life. The vocals are on-point and the vocal patterns in each of the songs are well-done, and the instrumental performances (including a bass that shines in specific moments) are all key parts of an addictive experience.

I’m actually surprised at how much I am enjoying this record, including how the songs continuously speak a tale of hatred and war, and the cover art, which goes along with their lyrical world-ruination and war themes. It’s one of those albums that just sneaks up on you and never lets go.

In fact, while writing this I’m on my third listen and enjoying it more and more — and I’ll mention one more detail that’s a plus, which are the samples. There are two, and they are short and on-point. I mention this because at times bands abuse the samples, either by making them too long or using them too frequently.

Anyway, if you are looking for Indonesian bands to check out or you are already a fan of that scene, gives these guys a chance, and if you like the music, support them if you can.

Here is the Brute Productions Bandcamp , where you can listen and buy:

https://osmed.bandcamp.com/album/territory-of-warfare

Brute Productions on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bruteprods/

OSMED on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/osmed.bdm/