Review Summary: The Dark Times of Gothic/Symphonic Metal, Part 5
Let's continue this series with something completely different, and by far its most obscure artist. Omega Lithium are a Croatian industrial metal band that uses some gothic metal elements, like strings and violins to create a dark atmosphere and gloomy female singing. Their first album, "Dreams in Formaline", was a great piece of sci-fi-themed industrial metal, and part of the soundtrack of my teenage years. I will review it someday, but not now, as it's too good for this series. Their second and last album "Kinetic" was unfortunately not as well-received.
"Kinetic" is less dark this its predecessor, even somewhat dance-inspired. That's not a change I particularly enjoyed. Of course, some tracks still have that Omega Lithium darkness, like the opener "Colossus" and its sinister riff and synths, and cold, cruel singing by Mya Mortensen. That one is not a good indicator of things to come, as it's followed by the most controversial song on the album, "Dance With Me". As a teen, I thought this was complete sell-out pop crap, and I wasn't the only one. Now I'll just say that like a lot of dance-pop songs by rock and metal bands, the real reason it doesn't work is because it's not very good. "Strip Me" is another failed attempt at playing the provocative dance diva with occasional guitars, and just like "Dance With Me", it feels like Omega Lithium have lost all their edge and personality.
Other tracks are more typical industrial metal, which sometimes works and sometimes not. "Time of Change" is the most guitar-driven and heaviest track, and another nice slice of Omega Lithium darkness. "I Am God" is probably the darkest track, and another highlight of the album. It's another sinister mix of industrial sounds and guitars, with lyrics about how God is often used as the reason why people start wars. "Salvation Refused" is a defiant and catchy track about not needing forgiveness from religious extremists. The anti-religious theme is interesting, but not really explored in other songs.
But the more metal-influenced tracks are not always good. "Cut Forget" is probably one of the most obnoxious songs I've ever heard, with its yelling verses and weird "We drink the wine, we're strands of time" chorus. The title track is a sort of new wave song about "the kinetic flow within", but it's just kind of weird and kind of long. That's one of the main problems of this album: it's so repetitive and long. When I'm not annoyed, I'm often bored. The last track, "Pjesma", is another example of that. It could be interesting, being half in English and half in Croatian, and being dedicated to their fans, but it just keeps going and going. it's kind of an unfortunate note for Omega Lithium's career to end on.
"Kinetic" is probably not the worst album I'll review in this series. It doesn't fill me with rage like "Rubicon" or "Tear the world Down", but it's not entertainingly messy like "Dark Passion Play" or "The Open Door". It's just one mediocre album from a band that I know can do better than this. Unfortunately, this might have killed Omega Lithium's career, as they broke up shortly after its release. This is why, although it's not the worst thing ever, and I can see how you might like it if you're interested in more dance or new wave-influenced industrial metal, I had to include it in this series. At least, we still have "Dreams in Formaline".
