Album review: TERRA ODIUM – Ne Plus Ultra

Frontiers Records [Release date 11.06.21]

In its more expansive moments, Norwegian band Terra Odium’s album resonates with the sci-fi dissonance of tech metal. The kind that Brad Fiedel and Wendy Carlos wielded on “The Terminator” and “The Shining” film scores.

Most of the time though, the band focus on tight groupings of laser guided prog metal. A bit like Dream Theater or Transatlantic or perhaps Pagans Mind.

It’s densely constructed material, with guitars constantly swirling overhead or shredding right in your face. Every track is a pocket progrock symphony on this closely packed, unselfconscious slice of art rock – ‘Crawling’, ‘Winter’ and the poetic ‘The Clouded Morning’ in particular stand out initially. In true Progrock tradition, all 3 extend to a satisfying 7 minutes or more.

Elsewhere in the album, lyrical and musical ideas follow each other in a succession of set piece, timeline jumpcuts, unified by a common thread. ‘The Road Not Taken’ and ‘The Shadow Lung’ are amazingly intense pieces of music that keep breaking off into overture and back again. Powerful stuff.

This band has a bright future, no question. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)