Canadian band OMBRA explore the realities of the human condition through the form of thrash metal riffs in a sound they describe as “intense, energetic and cinematic.”
The Montreal band is formed of Giuseppe ‘G’ Criniti and Marco and Nicole-Angelo Sisto, lifelong friends who’ve shared a passion for horror films, sci-fi and making loud music. G and Marco had been working on a project called NRTH, which saw some underground success but ended when, in G’s words, “the world was supposed to end with the pandemic.” While Nico had been playing with a successful band called Hidden Pride. But, when that ended, the trio got together to play music and came up with their debut single HYSTERIA, which was released at the end of October.
On the sound they’ve crafted since, G told us: “Our music explores the natural emotions and feelings of the human condition, being expressed naturally through hard-hitting rhythms and guitar riffs. We like to think of it as an auditory experience for raw emotions.”
Our latest taste of this is OMBRA’s second single STITCHES, which was released at the end of last month. It opens up with a delicious chugging riff that’s joined by a second guitar and continues under a little flurry of high notes. G’s powerful vocals come in alongside the heavy guitars and rolling drums lead us into heavier vocals, then chugging guitars and a flurry of cymbals tee up a powerful chorus. The intensity continues with more chunky guitars leading into a verse that ends with harsher vocals, then stabbing guitars set up another big chorus. That drops into spoken vocals over guitar noises, a bumbling bassline comes in before a delicious chunky riff and rolling drums continue under a meandering guitar solo to bring the track to an atmospheric conclusion.
On the track, G said: “The reception to STITCHES has been incredible so far, with especially strong feedback coming out of South American and European markets. Listeners are connecting not just with the music, but with the meaning behind it. For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, expect a hard-hitting groove, relentless momentum, and a dark narrative that explores identity, obsession, and self-destruction.”
As mentioned, that follows on from OMBRA’s debut single HYSTERIA, which starts out with guitars over a distant siren sound. It kicks into groovy guitar chords and driving drums before engaging vocals begin with the opening line “It’s madness in the streets.” The pace slows with chugging guitars and intense drums looping back into another big verse, which flows into a faster chorus ending with the line “It’s madness, it’s hysteria.” A second verse ends with chugging guitars and crushing cymbals that tee up a fiery guitar solo. Check it out in the video below:
The OMBRA sound has been shaped by bands like Mastodon, Power Trip, Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Gojira, Death and Motorhead. While G references influential musicians like Alex Skolnic, Mike Portnoy, Dave Mustaine, Chuck Schuldinger, Lemmy and Adam Jones.
And on what inspires them to write music, G explains: “Real life stories and experiences are some of our major influences in writing. The key themes we write on are our commentaries on the current social norms, human psychology and constant battles that we naturally deal with like morality v. ethics.”
OMBRA’s first two singles are leading up to their debut EP, Night Terror, which will be released early next year. And G added: “It’s cold outside and hell is hot, throw on STITCHES to keep you warm this holiday season. Looking forward to sharing more of our stories and experiences through our music with you this new year!”
You can follow OMBRA on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to OMBRA and more new bands on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
GigRadar 