Omision-In the Shadow of the Cross

Chaos Records
2011

Tijuana, Mexico is known for many things most of which involve it's fair share of alcohol and drug use. Well, that and half naked college kids. So how is it such a place could give us such a brutal death band like Omision? Formed in 1993 by Heriberto Perez (rhythm guitar/vocals) the sole purpose for the band would be to play the old style death metal. The band would play house parties and small gigs all the while going through several lineup changes until Heriberto decided to put the band on hold in 1997. Finally in 2000 Perez decided to give the band another try. While more line-up changes would take place between 2000 and 2007 Omision carried on. The band would release three self released demos before signing with Asphyxiate Recordings in 2010. Problems would arise though and while tracking the album Asphyxiate Recordings folded. Despite years of line-up changes and hard times the band soldiered on and were able to sign with Chaos Records. So while In the Shadow of the Cross is technically Omision's debut album the music has long been road tested and achieves it's attempt to capture the sounds of old school death bands like Terrorizer and Possessed."In the Shadow of the Cross" starts off with the sounds of bells tolling before kicking into some heavy death/thrash. From the start Omision has a sound that reminds me of not only band's like Possessed but also the early death/thrash of bands like Sepultura and Artillery. "Assault In The Vatican" was the same way. While the band is death metal there is nothing wrong with flirting with headbanging thrash."Beyond the Burning Gates" would prove to be a favorite of mine as was "Prayer". "Prayer" opens with the sounds of monks in prayer before it explodes with insane death blasts. Love it. "Fallen Angels" is another wicked track. It has this cool old doom/death feel going for it. "Seeking the Holy Throne" again brings to mind early death bands like Possessed. "The Downfall" was excellent as well even if it did sound quite similar to one of their other tracks. The album closes with "For Those Far Away". I loved the simpleness of the guitar on this instrumental track. Nothing special as I said just a simple riff and yet such an effective way to end the disc. This is a very good start for Omision and it's a shame that it took so long for them to release it.