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Artist: OMEGA LITHIUM
Album: Dreams In Formaline
Year: 2009
One of Croatia's leading industrial (electro) metal bands is clearly Omega Lithium. It was formed in 2007, giving birth to the long desire of it's guitarplayer to be able to mix electronic touches with metal. The very same year this band released their first proof of existence, namely the 3-track 'Andromeda' promo, which already left a big impression on me. The German label Drakkar Entertainment picked the band up immidiately for the release of the debut album 'Dreams In Formaline'.
'Dreams In Formaline' opens with the track called 'Infest'. It's built on bashing programming, a heavy bassline and wellplaced riffing and electronic samples. The vocal lines are recogniseable, making specially the chorus a sticky one. 'Stigmata' exists of atmospheric keylines, heavy riffing and powerful drumming. The way the vocal lines are blended with the electronic parts is essentially for this track, that although it's dark atmosphere and it's diverse approaches turns out to be very accessable. 'My Haunted Self' is a decent gothic metal track, including wellplaced piano parts and keylines, recogniseable steady riffing and a spine of powerful drumming and impressive vocal lines. The interaction between the male and female vocal lines works surprisingly well. The title track, 'Dreams in Formaline', comes up next. It contains wave sampling and keylines, experimental vocal lines, wicked drumming and, what in my opinion is, the best riffing on the release. All together this makes it my personal favorite track on the release. 'Andromeda' is a firm and steady midtempo track, combining powerful riffing and drumming with gentle and wellplaced keylines and accessable and recogniseable vocal lines. The little wave intermezzo is one to remember as well. 'Nebula' mixes wave with modern gothic metal, and tiny touches of electro. It's built on a spine of strong drumming and haunting keylines, decorated with easy going vocal lines and wellplaced riffing. 'Snow Red' is maybe the most accessable track on the release with its sometimes even poppy touches. It consists of tiny touches of wave sampling, cold keylines, gentle though powerful drumming and wellplaced riffing - blending perfectly with the recogniseable vocal lines. 'Hollow March' comes up next. It's a track hiding diverse keylines, an essentially strong bassline and powerful riffing and drumming. Once again the vocal lines are accessable, and even close to sing-a-long level during the chorus. 'Factor: Misery' comes again with a wave approach, sailing on a recogniseable bassline and wellplaced key- and vocal lines, to be decorated with powerful riffing when necissary. 'Angel's Holocaust' is the most experimental track on the release. Not only are the male vocals more present than ever, as well the straight to the point industrial metal riffing and drumming give the song a certain power boost. Overall, thanks to the key- and vocal lines and the Omega Lithium style, the song doesn't sound like an outkast on this album at all. The release ends with 'Point Blank'. It's a bashing midtempo gothic metal track, with hard riffing and cold orchestral keylines, excellent vocal lines and wellplaced electro samples.
One of the main differences between 'Dreams In Formaline' and the 'Andromeda' promo can be found within the vocals. Inbetween both releases vocalist Andrea left the band to give the mike to the only 19 year old Mya, adding a whole new dimension to the music. Not only does the vocal lines sound surprisingly mature, as well the interaction with the music can be seen as an essential part (these things could very well be heard in 'Hollow March' and 'Andromeda', songs that were released before with Andrea on vocals). As well, Omega Lithium introduces (for the first time?) some male vocals on 'Dreams In Formaline', with the most surprising track 'Angel's Holocaust' as biggest referrence point existing for the majority out of male vocals, which not only adds a certain degree of power but as well a certain degree of variation. Another noticeable thing on this album is the accessable approach. Pretty much all the tracks can be labelled 'radio friendly', and no track exists of groundbreaking technical solos, riffing or whatsoever - underlined by the fact that none of the tracks reaches the lenght of four minutes. As well worth mentioning is the excellent production, done by Victor Love (Dope Stars Inc., Epochate), which definitely underlines the strongest points of this album with a big fat marker.
In every possible way, Omega Lithium shows with 'Dreams In Formaline' that they are one of the brightest hopes for the future in both the female fronted gothic metal and the electro metal worlds. Musically links with bands such as Lacuna Coil, Evanescence and Black Light Discipline are easely made, but Omega Lithium clearly shows more originality and more potential within every track. Not only a bright hope for the future - the future will shine very bright for them without any doubt as well. Impressive!
Vote: 99 / 100
Review by: Gerardo
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1. Infest
2. Stigmata
3. My Haunted Self
4. Dreams In Formaline
5. Andromeda
6. Nebula
7. Snow Red
8. Hollow March
9. Factor: Misery
10. Angel's Holocaust
11. Point Blank
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