Rough Edge: Osmium CD Reviews

OSMIUM

"From the Ashes" (Dirthead Records; 2003)

Wow, an independent release that actually kicks ass! After just one spin Osmium's "From The Ashes" is my personal front-runner for the most pleasant surprise of 2003 to cross my desk. What I feel when listening to "From The Ashes" is the same kind of feeling I got when listening to The Fallen's "The Tones In Which We Speak" -- something that wasn't entirely within my comfort zone but made a big impact on my musical listening experience.

"From The Ashes" features eleven tracks of classic thrash with updated production values and a keen sense of history without easily falling for the tried and true. "From The Ashes" is an album that relies on the strength of its conviction and it rarely fails to succeed on that point.

As I alluded to earlier, Osmium is similar to The Fallen in the sense that they play with conviction, attitude, and a keen sense of what constitutes quality heavy metal music. Additionally, Osmium's homage to classic Bay Area thrash actually sounds fresh and inspired rather than played out and dull. I was never a big fan of Exodus, but Osmium's sound comes close to the Exodus style (at least from what I can remember what Exodus sounded like).

While Osmium may not have a long-term impact on my daily musical choices it is safe to say that fans of Exodus, Testament, Dark Angel, and other thrash acts will be surprised by what they hear on "From The Ashes."

"From The Ashes" was produced by Osmium and mixed and engineered by music biz veteran Mark Keaton (High On Fire, Cathedral, Sourvein, Spaceboy). The production quality is one of the best I’ve ever heard for an independent release. And for more icing on the cake the simple yet effective packaging makes adds even more quality to this top-notch release.

Osmium is Pete Pellizzari on vocals, Paul Pellizzari on guitars, Shilo Kramer on guitars, Rob Lumbre on bass, and Zack Hicks on drums.

For more information visit http://www.osmium.net.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

Back to CD Reviews Home

Back to RoughEdge.com Home