Music Review: Oh, Sleeper, The Titan EP

Through previous Oh, Sleeper albums, we’ve seen the band get more raw, and more focused musically. Vices Like Vipers was arguably their most raw and frenetic recording, as well as emotionally gripping. Go listen to “The End of a Dark Campaign” and tell me that doesn’t just rip your heart out. Son of the Morning and even Children of Fire were very clean and produced well, giving Oh, Sleeper their signature sound. As a Christian band, they’ve always stood out to me as some of the more technical and thought-provoking groups in the genre. So where does The Titan EP fall in line? In fact, I think it shows an even more mature and concept-focused band, primed for even more popularity than where they are now.

“Naofumi Mitsuhashi” (named after a fan from the Indiegogo campaign) kicks off the EP and reminds me of the Vices Like Vipers recordings. Raw production giving way to a solid message of how “This scene is too far gone to expect a message of peace to reach the top of the charts”. Micah Kinard’s lyrics speak to how damaged we are from the world, and urges us to “Drop out of the masquerade and wear your own name”. The record continues this focus with “The Pitch”, with a call to be everything we were made to be, and features some electronic elements that are welcome to the frenzied nature of the track. “Death From Above” features some brilliant guitarwork from both the band and a solo from Jacky Vincent of Falling In Reverse. It also features some of the deepest lyrics (“I vow to fill my grave with a life not wasted”) and possibly the heaviest breakdown of the EP, at the end.

Seriously, Vices Like Vipers will change your life.

The final two tracks are some of the most theatrical from Oh, Sleeper, including “Heavy Hands” which barely features any screaming from Kinard, yet it works perfectly for the track’s mission. It also shows the band takes everything they write seriously, mentioning previous songs and albums in their lyrics (“Because reveries of flight only left me questioning”, a direct mention of a song off Son of the Morning). “The Rise” follows in the steps of the title track from Children of Fire, with a call to change the world for the better. The chaos matches the intensity of the song, and is where Oh, Sleeper channels their best work. 

The only real gripe I could say about the EP is how short it is. The five songs only clock in at just over 18 minutes, and there’s plenty of metalcore to go around for the entire length of the record. They’ve broken off from the record label and been given a chance by their fans to continue their great career, and this is a strong EP, another worthy volume to Oh, Sleeper’s discography. 

What are your thoughts on Oh, Sleeper's new EP? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or let us know through Twitter and Facebook!