J-Man Though deathcore is admittedly not one of my favorite genres, American flag-bearers Born of Osiris have been one of my favorite discoveries this year. Their progressive and technical take on this now-tired mix of death metal and metalcore is refreshing, and their gifted capabilities as songwriters and musicians makes them even more noteworthy in my book. Looking back on The New Reign (their first EP under the band name Born of Osiris) from today's lenses shows that they didn't start out as an eye-opening act, however - while the band's distinct sound is somewhat in place, it's much more immature and disjointed than any of their future efforts. The New Reign is a fairly mediocre effort that relies far too heavily on conventional deathcore techniques for my liking, and when it does deviate from this well-trodden formula, the results are hit and miss.

The music you'll find on The New Reign is best described as deathcore with quite a few technical and melodic twists. There are lots of technical nuances in the compositions, especially in the guitar department, and the synthesizer flavorings give Born of Osiris a few unique assets aside from your standard 'chug-chug-breakdown' deathcore album. While this is definitely a positive in my book, Born of Osiris was still far from perfecting their sound on this EP - the synthesizer tones sound cheap and fake, and they tend to awkwardly dance above the rest of the tech-metal madness with no rhyme or reason. To further add to this, the songs themselves often jump from one section to another without any warning; in short, this is an extremely incoherent and jagged release from a compositional standpoint. The musicianship is undoubtedly excellent, with the lightning-fast guitar leads and complex drum patterns often leaving me in amazement, but the songs are just so disjointed that it's difficult to get too excited about The New Reign.

It's also worth noting that the production is not quite up to par either, with the dry and rather muddy sound often detracting from my overall enjoyment. All in all, The New Reign is not an EP I enjoy very much, but there are still plenty of ambitious ideas throughout its duration to save it from being considered a poor effort. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except those who can't get enough of Born of Osiris, so I guess 2.5 is a pretty fair score. Time would prove that these lads would improve immensely over this disjointed debut within the next few years.

J-Man Despite deathcore's growing reputation as a genre more about cashing-in than creating quality music, a few "diamonds in the rough" have proven to me that deathcore is far from abysmal as a whole. Arguably the greatest of all my discoveries in the deathcore world is Born of Osiris - a band hailing from Chicago, Illinois that embraces the more technical, progressive, and melodic side of the genre. The Discovery is their second full-length album, and it currently stands as one of this year's finest achievements, irrespective of genre. Killer riffs, sleek musicianship, and lush atmospheres make this entire release an absolute blast from beginning to end. Conservative, old-school metalheads may not like The Discovery's modern tendencies, but if you approach this one with an open mind, it's difficult to be left unimpressed. This is a stunning observation from beginning to end, and an easy recommendation from this humble reviewer. I'm just left with one question... why can't all deathcore be this damn good?

Although Born of Osiris are firmly rooted in the modern deathcore scene, they are certainly no stranger to experimentation. Plenty of quirky technical/progressive instrumental sections, atmospheric keyboards, and interludes are contained on The Discovery, all of which set them apart from the "Emmures" of the world. Possibly more unique than their progressive tendencies, Born of Osiris actually manages to make their deathcore side equally intriguing. Breakdowns are used quite frequently, yet every single one of them is excellent. Born of Osiris adds haunting keyboard melodies over most of the breakdowns on The Discovery, and it always keeps things interesting, even if the breakdown only consists of one or two guitar notes. Just listen to the captivating breakdown in "Two Worlds of Design" to understand what I mean by that - the way that groove builds into an atmospheric climax is remarkable. The Discovery also contains a few songs that are devoid of metal influences entirely. The well-composed "A Solution" is an especially noteworthy track, and the keyboard arrangements on that song are particularly stunning. The beautiful instrumental "The Omniscient" also showcases Born of Osiris's diversity as songwriters and musicians. All of The Discovery is top-notch, though, and I'd venture to say that it's without any weak tracks. This album may take a few listens to fully "click", but it's definitely worth all the attention it demands.

From a solely objective point of view, The Discovery passes with flying colors. Born of Osiris are talented musicians across the board, and their professionalism shines through in every song. These guys are not only skillful players, but also truly gifted composers with a knack for crafting memorable melodies and crushingly heavy riffs. The crisp production may sound a bit "overdone" for some people, but I personally find it to be powerful and effective.

The Discovery ended up blowing me away more than I ever would've imagined. Born of Osiris truly are the leaders of the modern deathcore scene, and this most recent offering shows the genre at its best and most refined. This LP will challenge your mind with its intricacies, stun you with its beauty, and make you bang your head like a madman from its brutal riffs - that alone is enough to leave me highly impressed. Factor in the professional musicianship and sleek production, and you have one of 2011's most essential purchases. Fans of Born of Osiris and extreme metal in general should check this one out immediately. 4.5 stars are well-deserved for this stunning masterpiece.

Wilytank As I've trudged through other deathcore, I eventually stumbled upon the first album by Born of Osiris, The New Reign. I was surprised. This melodic/progressive deathcore was actually really, REALLY good!

What makes their follow up album, A Higher Place, better? Well, for one, it's actually a decent album length. Their first album was barely 21 minutes long with only eight songs, while this is just over 34 minutes with 13 songs. That alone makes this a much more satisfying experience. Other than that, they've pretty much continued to project the same ideas they had present in their debut, but with an experience that seemed more complete.

This is a deathcore band that doesn't rely heavily on breakdowns. What they do use is a very interesting array of melodic lead guitar and keyboards to make a very nice atmospheric experience. Most of the songs are mid to slow-paced, so they don't have to try to sound to pretentious by playing at tremolo speeds with blast beating drums just to end with a breakdown.

Recommended for fans of Between the Buried and Me.

arcane-beautiful So it turns out I am now a metal reviewer, or something like that, according to the website...I'm not sure, it won't change much, it'll just make me seem more uptight haha

This ep had catched my eye in my local HMV, and the reason I bought it was because I assumned it was a prog metal band (Egyptian references and metal usually means prog at times).

Well...I guess these guys are prog in a sense, with the tech death meets metalcore and deathcore vibe.

Im not the biggest fan of deathcore or metalcore, but these guys deviate from the norm, with a certain uniqueness. I'm afraid everyone is doing this these days, but these guys where out before this trend blew up.

The songs are full of melody, brutality are and technical abillity. The polyrythyms are very fierce, and at times is kind of like being drilled in the head, which is always great.

I wouldn't say this is a must have, but it's a well crafted ep, and it is very short and precise, and enjoyable.

1. Rosecrance - Amazing arrangement. Melodic and yet quite brutal. Great progression throughout. 10/10

2. Empires Erased - Amazing chorus. Arrangment at times can be a bit random. 9/10

3. Open Arms To Damnation - Very odd polyrhythms. Good use of keyboards. 9/10

4. Abstract Art - Less melodic and more heavier. Amazing use of keyboards within the context of the music. 9/10

5. The New Reign - Nice and melodic but quite samey at times. 8/10

6. Brace Legs - Great intro. Interesting arrangement. 8/10

7. Bow Down - The intro always makes me laugh. The guitar solo in this song is amazing. 9/10

8. The Take Over - Great frantic intro. Very brutal & fast. The outro is amazing and beautiful. 9/10

CONCLUSION: A good first ep, showing some great potential. Now if only they could morph their sound into something more unique.