UMUR "Universum Infinitum" is the debut full-length studio album by British/Belgian black metal act Omega Centauri. The album was released through Duplicate Records in February 2012. Omega Centauri is a two man project featuring members of Sanctus Nex, Orpheus and Monads.

The music on the album is atmospheric/post black metal. The atmosphere is epic, dark/eerie and melancholic. The use of grand synths reminds me of the way Fen uses the instrument and some of the most epic doomy parts remind me slightly of "Blackwater Park (2001)"-era Opeth. The vocals are harsh and raspy. There´s good variation between fast, mid and slow paced parts which help make the whole journey entertaining. It´s also an album that takes a bit of time to sink in, but all for the better if you ask me.

"Universum Infinitum" is an interesting project featuring a great dark atmosphere, solid musicianship, a suiting raw albeit professional sound production, but above all some intriguing and well written songs. I´m hooked and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Time Signature Elusive...

Genre: black metal

Black metal is one of those interesting expressive genres that cover a lot of ground in terms of musical aesthetics, but one thing that many black metal bands have in common is the generation of a sense of bleakness.

And Omega Centauri's "Universum Infinitum" is definitely incredibly bleak and cold, and it has all the features that characterize black metal, such as harsh atmospheric vocals drowned in reverb, tremolo picking, tense harmonies, blastbeats, dissonance etc. So, I am sure that most fans of black metal will agree that "Universum Infinitum" is a true black metal release with focus on blasting, tremolo-picking, raw production and utilization of the power of repetition.

But it is also different. There is a slight avant-garde touch to the compositions on this album. First off, the lead guitars have a very melodic feel to them, and not just melodic but also a certain fluidity, which at times is more reminiscent of some guitar work in more experimental jazz fusion. Moreover, some of the tracks are quite dynamic, changing from archetypical black metal blasting to heavier, softer, or even more ambient parts.

"Universum Infinitum" is definitely an interesting black metal release, which manages to both observe the conventions of black metal to military precision and yet be different and quite original. This release should appeal to both fans of traditional black metal and more adventurous black-metallers who like avant-garde stuff.