By: Matthew Fox

Rating: 4 out of 5

O’Death is one of those bands that have truly found an original sound. Mixing bluegrass and folk with the grittiness and pace of a thrash band, these New Yorkers have hit the stylistic nail square on the head. Their first album, Head Home, was characterized by this signature sound, and although somewhat poorly recorded, was a solid CD in every capacity. The sophomore record, Broken Hymns Limbs & Skin, held the same raw sound of the first album, but with even better songs and recording quality.

Now here comes Outside, the up-and-coming group’s third album. “Bugs”, the opening track, is a very sweet and pleasant sounding folk track, characterized by hauntingly catchy ver...wait, sweet and pleasant? Where’s the O’Death that let out blood-curdling group screams to the rhythm of a squealing violin? Why has my face yet to melt off after the first thirty seconds of listening?!

Surprisingly, a good majority of the original grittiness the band has previously unleashed on us is absent in this CD. This may come as horrific news to some, but I say give it a shot. It may not be the O’Death we’re all familiar with from the past two albums, but Outside has plenty to offer, even if it doesn’t melt our faces.

The change is undeniable, but there are plenty of factors that resemble traces of their past songs. One of my favorite signature sounds from O’Death is their diverse percussion. From rusted buckets to metal chains, the group never fails to turn a run-down country shed into a drum kit. Also, for a band that has always been so strong in their melodic fervor, Outside proves that the change in sound hasn’t altered their songwriting abilities in the least.

My personal favorites would include “Bugs”, “Black Dress”, and “Pushing Out”.

“Pushing Out” sounds virtually like nothing else O’Death has ever put out, but it is hands down one of the best tracks on the album. Beginning with a catchy and sincere melody, the song proceeds steadily till the 2/3 range, when the lines “and in the lake we were all forgiven/and in the creek there was soft relent/and in the cave we were all forgotten/now there is sky, there is nothing left us,” are punched out with nothing but a guitar backing the voice. Immediately following this is an explosion of instruments, merrily increasing in energy for the last minute or so of the track.

“Black Dress” can be simply summed up in one word: catchy. This track is a perfect example of the original percussive work O’Death is so loved for, with the snare drum emulating that of an army march, followed by tambourines filling in the gaps of vacant airspace.

“Bugs” is the first track on the album, and serves, in a way, as the band officially announcing their change in sound to the fans. Not only does the guitar sound calm and collected, but so does Jamie’s voice, which is even more of a shock. We had grown to love a voice riddled with scratchy shouts and off-pitch high notes, so the change was definitely noticed. As previously mentioned, whether or not people agree with this slight shift in genre and attitude, it is undeniable that songs such as these are incredibly well-written and deserve proper recognition.

All in all, Outside is a huge change from their past, but the new sound definitely works. The pleasantly dismal sound of the tracks make for haunting melodies and some serious toe-tapping. Although I would still prefer the gritty excitement of past recordings, Outside satisfies a different area of my musical taste buds, and I am looking forward to see what they have in store next.

Matthew Fox lives in Nashville, TN. He drives a Jeep, frequently looks up cute pictures of animals online, and once won $15 off a lottery ticket. An archive of his blog posts can be found at foxtalks.wordpress.com.