“You want to delete me from your mind?“
Since THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND dropped in early 2022, it would be an understatement to say that Bad Omens have been on a journey since that release. For those who have been along for the long haul, it only seems a moment since their debut full-length was bombarded with comparisons to their contemporises Bring Me The Horizon. Since then, there almost been a stubbornness in Bad Omens to prove that wrong, and perhaps usurp the percieved throne. THE DEATH OF THE PEACE OF MIND might have been the the start, and CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] is its continuation. What Bad Omens have offered here is a behemoth: new tracks, remixes under the term ‘UNZIPPED‘, and live performances. Digesting what is at hand, we see Bad Omens challenge to the norm, blending their style with that of established artists, while sampling ideas from some of the most underrated acts going today.
The first track of addressing will be “V.A.N“, a track that saw a certain uproar due to its full vocal future from Poppy. It’s here alongside their feature on Knocked Loose track “Suffocate” that cemented Poppy as a serious player in the genre, given that many had doubted them beforehand. Beside the impressive vocal performance, it’s where the instrumentals and production that had made THE DEATH OF THE PEACE OF MIND come to the forefront to the ear. There is a precision to the kicks, each riff and synths, that the ear can sink in to; each one is its own hook. It’s not a flawless overture for the record, but it has unquestionably been one of the mainstay tacks of 2024 so far.
One of the moments that CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] reaches grandiose levels is “THE DRAIN“, which lends a hand from HEALTH and SWARM. Noah‘s vocals succinctly fit in here with HEALTH‘s sound, conjuring a soundtrack that could easily fit within CYBERPUNK 2077 to Judge Dredd. Given HEALTH‘s well documented history of collaborations, it’s easy to see how “THE DRAIN” could have ended up on a DISCO release.
It is perhaps after this where CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] begins to take some twist and turns that doesn’t hit as well. While the sentiment on “Terms & Conditions” is unquestionable (“Who they killing, when they making a killing“), there is a cleanliness on the production and vocal performance that gives it too much of an ‘interlude‘ feeling to stand up to the impact of the prior tracks. The next turn comes with a feature from the marmite of the UK scene that is Wargasm, as “HEONDIST [RECHARGED]” goes full throttle. It’s a synth-lead track, as happened on GUNSHIP track “Monsters in Paradise“; clearly Milkie has a penchant for embracing the cheese. Way on lead on the vocals sit much better on the ear, and ideal fit to the overall sound of “HEONDIST [RECHARGED]“.
Drifting through hyperpop-esque interludes comes “EVEN“, and interlude “LOADING SCREEN” takes us even further into PS2 soundtrack styling. Moving from strength to strength with the peak of CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] is “ANYTHING HUMAN“, featuring progressive metalcore act ERRA. There is a prowess to this track from its guest vocals to the gorgeous bridge and closing hook from Sebastian. This will surely become a fan favourite, and hopefully a track that sets a trend for the future.
The extended interlude of “DIGITAL FOOTPRINT” will forcibly summon a GTA loading screen into your brain, yet it is forgivable for the quality that comes in this stretch of the record. The exceptional iRis.EXE offers up their gorgeous and imposing voice to “NEROUS SYSTEM“. The racing beat is matched with iRis delivering the hook of “You want to hurt me?”, and for many will be seen the strongest track on the record.
The second half of CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] presents a variation of remixes and live performance. It is early on “ARTICIAL SUICIDE [UNZIPPED]” and “THE GREY [UNZIPPED]” featuring Thousand Below and WE ARE FURY that it becomes evident that these are nothing more than sped up nightcore-eque tracks. It’s here and as “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND [SO WYLIE PATCH]” and “BAD DECISON [LOFI]” are poorly done. It’s hard not to be cynical around these tracks when you think about the modern music “algorithm” that swirls around us – are these tracks really here to serve the whole package, or do they simply ensure the band nabs all the remix stream count for themselves? This sense is somewhat cleared once we get to the exceptional vocal performance from Let’s Eat Grandma on “JUST PRETEND [CREDIT]“, yet there it does feel earlier artists such as iRis.EXE could have been stronger here.
The third half the record it dedicated to live performance, which sees Sebastian display their vocal ability and crowd command, especially on “JUST PRETEND [LIVE 2024]“. CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] will undoubtly remain as a strange record to digest. There will be those who take heart, and embrace the features and variety from early on the record. It it is without question that Bad Omens have done a better job at scouting acts than some of their contemporises, most notably iRis.EXE, while established acts such as ERRA show that they aren’t a busted flush. CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] is Bad Omens both marking an end of a era while staking a claim. The wider question that comes from the album is the direction Bad Omens will take next, as it shows them celebrating their achievements while casting an eye to the future.
8/10
CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] is set to released May 31st via Sumerian Records and can be pre-ordered here.