“Through shadow, light remains.”
It truly feels like it’s been an ice age since the last time we’ve heard a full-length album from progcore gurus Born of Osiris. Factually, four years is a barely visible microcosm compared to the several millennia dating back to the last time the Earth was blanketed in permafrost. Yet from their very inception, Born of Osiris had a well-documented track record of releasing LPs on a strict two-year cycle. You can imagine having to wait twice that amount of time for their next record coincided with every categorical definition of atypical for most seasoned followers of the Chicago-based outfit. Angel or Alien was a near universally acclaimed display of pro-djent-itive progressive metalcore. Vastly more experimental than anything in their back catalogue, Born of Osiris set a new precedent for themselves. The only question that remained was whether they’d continue to ride the gamma ray afterburn of a newly established approach to their sound or return to their roots.
Despite all signs pointing to their usual cadence, Born of Osiris took a rather surprising route a couple of years later and went musically dormant for the remainder of 2023 following the release of “Torchbearer”. Shortly after unveiling “A Mind Short Circuiting”, several months later in early 2024, longtime synthesizer and backing vocalist Joe Buras announced his departure. A further shakeup would happen again as Lee McKinney would also end his prolonged tenure with the band in May of this year. Change is inevitable, and Born of Osiris has sure as hell been through a good bit of it as of late. Losing two integral pieces of a group that has been able to hang their hats on the mantle of longevity more than most is suboptimal, to say the least. It would likely mean the end for many other acts. Somehow or other, Born of Osiris has pressed on, unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding. Likely a product of the bumpy path they’ve found themselves on, Through Shadows is an absolute remit to Born of Osiris’s djent-enriched sympathies that stands as a superbly promising sign that progcore’s old guard aren’t leaving us anytime soon.
It feels apt to address what could likely be the chief concern amongst those who are finding themselves reserved from the standpoint of how Through Shadows may sound, given the absence of Buras; it’s a perfectly valid worry. Read this several times if you must: no need to panic. Guitarist Nick Rossi has taken over synth duties and delivers a backing masterclass of his own on this record that is surgical and calculated. When misused, synths tend to turn bothersome and bog down other audible elements. If a true balance is found, however, they can add an exquisitely impactful layer of sonic weight. On Through Shadows, Rossi cements himself as a true student of the progcore game with his contributions on the keyboard alone. Though apparent on the entirety of the record, interlude track “Burning Light” is the comprehensively synth-heavy showing of Born of Osiris’s resolve and a glowing testament to their ability to offset unexpected adversity.
Dialing back some of the melodic sensibilities that made Angel or Alien structurally expansive, Through Shadows blends shades of The Discovery and Tomorrow We Die Alive in healthy increments. Those classic laser beam poly riff breakdowns that have made Born of Osiris renowned in the progressive metalcore space are back in full galactic swing. Between “The War That You Are”, “Inverno”, and “Transcendence”, Rossi and McKinney combine for a textbook arrangement of prog guitar work that activates every nostalgia receptor imaginable. Along with Cameron Losch’s octopus drumming, pure technicality dominates most of the instrumental landscape this time around.
If you favored Angel or Alien over Born of Osiris’s earlier work, there’s plenty of leftover contemporary influence here as well (saxophone, anyone?). While more distinct on tracks such as “Dark Fable” and “Activated”, Born of Osiris leverages melodic anatomy in some capacity on nearly every song on Through Shadows. Aspects like McKinney’s clean vocals soar overtop Ronnie Canizaro’s formidable growls to maintain a strong semblance of the previous vocal tandem that we were used to for so long. Once again, Born of Osiris has managed to fill a void that many were understandably concerned about staying indefinitely empty.
For as robustly diverse and engaging as the majority of Through Shadows is, the singles felt a tad lukewarm. This is not to say any of them were outright bad, per se. Rather, they give a sense of auditory warmup that provides us with enough of the strengths of this album to show true moments of greatness, but suffer from a lack of cohesive execution. Ultimately, this is perhaps the only facet of Through Shadows that holds it back from being among Born of Osiris’s very best albums. The fact remains that Through Shadows is a product of a band that wanted to prove they still “had it” regardless of external factors. For the most part, they have done just that.
Born of Osiris could have just relinquished their high standing in the progcore scene when the dominoes began to fall. That would’ve been the easy thing to do; it’s just not who they are. This is a band that has worked tirelessly since the beginning to ascend the ranks of progressive metalcore and has rightfully earned their badge of honor. Retroactively, it was probably unfair to assume Born of Osiris would throw in the towel. For all the trials and tribulations they faced, Chicago’s blue-collar progcore practitioners took each setback head-on and came out exponentially better for it. While not the pinnacle of their extensive bibliography, Through Shadows is, if nothing else, a clear-cut sign that not only does Born of Osiris have the strength to carry on, but continue to evolve if they so choose.
7/10
Through Shadows releases on July 11 through Sumerian Records and can be pre-ordered here.