I’m not a big fan of writing/typing up reviews after the fact because once an album is out into the ether then it’s up to the peoples to decide if they like or not. However, on occasion a record speaks to us so much that it’d be a disservice to the artist not to promote it in some way, shape, or form. Like this new beast from The Offering that we’re about to swoon all over. And the fact that they’re from Boston is another compelling reason to give them a shout out…
But I digress.
I was supremely impressed when The Offering’s debut EP dropped in 2017 (So much so that we even reviewed it even! Read that here.) and just typing that their debut full-length, HOME, is light years beyond those five tracks would be one of the greatest understatements of the year because the album that you’re hopefully physically holding in your hands or holding through your mobile device (Which should have all those streaming music apps that are all the rage) is one helluva beastly behemoth of riffs and speed and screams and all kinds of stuff that’ll plaster a shit eatin’ grin across the faces of those who worship at the altar of Metal.
Like modern Flotsam and Jetsam mixed with Judas Priest and a guitar god swag a la Dragonforce to keep listeners on their toes, The Offering literally scream old school but with a 21st Century edge. “Waste Away” is a welcome for the uninitiated. It’s heavy, it’s fast and it equally highlights guitarist Nishad George’s shred prowess as much as Alexander Richichi’s vocal excellency and range. Then there’s Steve Finn’s intense skin bashing and Spencer Metela’s savage bass reverberations that really propel this track, and the whole of HOME, into the upper stratosphere of Metal.
Classic solos fuel a lot of “Lovesick” which kicks off with a barrage of George’s riffage and Finn’s severe percussive accents as Richichi croons his ass off to build toward this bludgeoning breakdown. “A Dance with Diana” is the first time things remotely slow down on HOME but the track still carries the heft that the faster tracks hold as “Failure (S.O.S.)” ups the speed with Metela’s bass practically bouncing off of George’s shred fest with Richichi channeling Rob Halford’s snarl so beautifully (Think more 2wo or Fight than JP).
“Hysteria” is an interesting one, beginning with a subdued guitar line that’s almost as if …And Justice For All was made in 2019 before becoming this unabashed modern thrash masterpiece. The diversity doesn’t end there as this lush arrangement begins “Glory” to prelude Richichi stretching his vocal chops within a track that would be at, ahem, home on Devin Townsend’s Deconstruction. And HOME wouldn’t be complete without an epic finale which it certainly gets when the title track kicks in and goes through an insane, yet coherent, amount of time and style changes as the track batters listeners over the head with beauty and brutality for almost fifteen minutes to close out this phenomenal debut.
HOME is out now through Century Media Records. You can git yers now in a variety of options by clicking here. For more on The Offering, including upcoming live dates, head here.