Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Odonis Odonis are an act focused on delivering an experience. Their sound has always been about pushing the limits of their influences, having embraced eighties goth and darkwave throughout their career. The duo is known for ferocity and music that is danceable yet unforgiving.
Their fifth Spectrums album is no exception, as it is an electrifying journey with a ruthless edge. It channels the harshest sounds of modern darkwave and electro-industrial to create a force to be reckoned with. Make no mistake, this is an album for fans of the above genres, and it is a body of work made for the shadowy, neon drenched, blood-lit clubs where bodies move in a deliciously dark room.
Throughout its runtime, Spectrums conjures the darkest and heaviest sounds which bring to life the murky horrors the album encapsulates. The album’s divided into two halves, the first five songs lean more heavily on the darkwave soundscapes; luscious, foreboding, and huge instrumentals with vocals centred around emotion and melody.
Whereas the second half is a tour de force, a constant bludgeoning with little mercy. There you will find brooding songs that burn and flicker amongst striking, raucous sounds that will swallow you whole; with the vocals acting as another component, rather than the focal point.
While the album is a tale of two halves, the opening song is a mixture of darkwave and the more unforgiving elements of the latter half. The album begins with “Trust”, a lyrically simplistic anthem focused on urgency, delivering instrumental mayhem and an atmosphere laced with pain.
It is a disorderly and harsh pummelling, with contorted and distorted synths hammering the aural cavities with such viciousness your head will vibrate.
Following on from the explosive opener is “More”, an introspective and cinematic number that is just as grand as the opener. It is apparent within two songs that the vocals evoke a sense of human suffering, they are pained and resonate with the listener.
Whereas “Shadow Play” is a club anthem that burns bright and “Impossible” is the closest Odonis Odonis gets to dark pop. Although it is closer to pop, they keep their ethos and deliver a pop song on their terms. The vocals on “Impossible” conjures the softer moments of Nine Inch Nails and overall, it is a change of pace.
And then things get seriously dark and enthralling with “A Body”, a captivatingly haunting number with overflowing bass and mechanical, blade whirring synthesisers that crush you in a rhythmically, slow way. Reverb-soaked vocals linger during the verses adding to the eerie atmosphere, and during the chorus you are met with harsh vocals, with the screams providing the final cut.
If there is one thing about Spectrums to highlight, it is how monumental everything sounds. Every song is like an avalanche of sound bundling towards you. Their ability to construct instrumentals that are so detailed and varied proves pivotal for an album such as this.
It all comes together to create a larger-than-life experience, which is exactly what you want from this genre. You want to be lashed by a thousand sounds, to feel your bones shake violently, and you want to feel something.
Once again, the final two songs “In The Fire” and “Salesmen” showcase that layered and finely constructed experience, while being stylistically different. The former is meditative and slow burning, which builds towards a crescendo.
Whereas the closing track “Salesmen” is a wall of metallic noise, so twisted and fast-paced that it is hard to know where to focus. It is a fiery and fitting end to an album such as this.
It’s fair to say that Odonis Odonis have evolved with Spectrums and it’s full of attitude, atmosphere, and more blood than an eighties music act performing amongst a horror extravaganza.
Odonis Odonis’ Spectrums album is out now via Felte, download and purchase it here and stream it below.
Words by Jake Gould
