The Sunderland quintette named Osiah crashed onto the scene way back in 2015 with EP Reborn Through Hate. From there it has been a rise like no other, with the band’s sound evolving to become more technical and polished across two substantially heavy albums in Terror Firma and Kingdom Of Lies. The latter’s successor Loss, sees the band bring in a new lineup and is Osiah’s darkest and most aggressive release to date. Combining the monolithic, misery infused nihilism of debut Terror Firma and the technical maturity of sophomore album Kingdom Of Lies, Osiah is significantly stronger and viciously more aggressive than ever before. Opening up with ‘Realm Of Misery’ an intensely atmospheric intro riddled with the tortured screams of lost souls, planting an image of Dante’s Seventh Circle of Hell, set upon three sub levels of violence. This sets the scene for the rest of the album; unrelenting brutality, ruthless aggression, unmerciful bludgeoning and sadistic, punishing, musical technicality. Whilst the album does contain Osiah’s deathcore roots, there is a clear shift from endless discordant, chugged breakdowns to a more dynamic and riff centred brutal technical death metal sound. The one major thing that this shift represents is the move away from linear concepts that previously anchored the band’s lyrics and direction. Coming from a place of pure and visceral emotion Loss contains more depth and nuance than previous Osiah releases. The band still deliver on their signature acerbic deathcore chops alongside intense and skull splitting breakdowns. However, Osiah makes a more noticeable use of tempo changes, this has a significant impact on the flow of the record. Whilst it is still punishingly precise, as demonstrated at the breakdown section on title track ‘Loss’ featuring Jason Evans of Ingested, the added dynamic variations keeps the adrenaline surging through you as it is not as perceivably predictable like Terror Firma. This gives the album a progressive element, with rhythmic phrases being shifted in the bar, it gives the breakdowns especially more unique groove, compared to just mindlessly chugging. This variation is best demonstrated on ‘Echoes’ which seems to consolidate everything we have heard throughout the album before launching into the final assault of album closer ‘Already Lived’. This growing maturity and new approach to composition has elevated their music to another level. They have kept themselves in good company by also employing the services of Ben Duerr of Shadow of Intent on the album’s leading single ‘The Eye Of The Swarm’ alongside Jason Evans of Ingested. The two feature tracks themselves (‘Loss’ and ‘The Eye Of The Swarm’) are stand outs on the album, as they divert slightly from the direct route that Osiah have travelled down on the majority of the album. ‘Loss’ carries a more ominous and mysterious atmosphere that encapsulates the lyrical themes of being trapped under the weight of misery and the feeling of being lost. ‘The Eye Of The Swarm’ opens with strange noises, placing you at the centre of a screeching swarm of monsters before launching into a discordant, deathcore classic. It is fair to say that this is a turning point in Osiah’s story. They have finely balanced the introduction of technical and complex death metal riff writing with their signature, beatdown infused deathcore sound, which will delight old fans and bring in new one. Without any shadow of a doubt, Loss will see Osiah elevated to a higher echelon of UK extreme music. This album will have no qualms about chewing you up, ingesting you in acid and spewing you up as semi-digested toxic mess. Score: 8/10 Loss is released May 7th via Unique Leader Records. Purchase the album here. Listen to the interview with the band on the Noizze Podcast here.