The Norwegian trio named Ohmwork quite recently unleashed this new bombastic effort of theirs, "Alyssa Drone", via Rob Rules Records and the result is generally a satisfying one. The album consists of eleven tunes (twelve if you count the radio edit of "Requiem of the Fallen") of which the majority are cleverly written and nicely arranged. Ohmwork even incorporate some progressive elements and ideas into their powerful and all-out heavy tracks, which add a lot of variety and color to the whole affair.

 

Whenever I spin this disc, legendary acts such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, DIO, and Iron Maiden, come to mind while some of the guitar harmonies have a whiff of Thin Lizzy and Rainbow about them, but Ohmwork have certainly carved out a sound and an identity of their own now, which is awesome. My main problem with "Alyssa Drone" is that the last half of the record is slightly uneven, which entails that it loses some of its momentum. That lack of coherence is frustrating at times.

 

On top of that, the vocals do not always match the epic sections and grand passages that creep into the mix from time to time. Not that they are bad or anything like that, but they do not have that soaring quality to them that some of the songs cry out for. Still, the album is most definitely worth looking into if heavy metal and hard rock appeal to you. There are some killer cuts such as "Shadow Hunters", "Alyssa Drone Pt. 2", and "Judas" to be found that will simply make it impossible for you to remain calm or sit still. A somewhat uneven album, but still worth exploring.