OOLUU BECOME THEMSELVES AND BLUR LINES IN THEIR NEW SONG “ALTAR'“
One of the things that I find most difficult in reviewing music is categorizing the band. You tell someone you’re listening to a band/album/song, and they ask what it sounds like. I don’t know, post-hardcore? Thrash? Grindcore? Post-Classic Nouveau Grunge? Most of these descriptions are self-explanatory, but I cannot grasp other terms. I’m still waiting for someone to describe “djent” to me successfully.
Ottawa-based trio Ooluu is the latest group to present me with such a dilemma with their newest track “Altar.” Trying to label this tune is like trying to staple jelly to a wall. The song is a roller coaster ride that changes genres throughout, moving from alternative to stoner metal to progressive metal, all with a twist of hardcore and industrial rock. Like Kyuss if Kyuss were goth. Like Ghost, if Ghost picked up the pace a little. Depending on your perspective, a song so complex like “Altar” can be seen as a positive; that Ooluu has such a broad range of influences that their music is unique and indescribable. On the other hand, you can say that their style is so wide that it is difficult to classify and describe adequately. In this case, “Altar” is somewhere in the middle, with Ooluu throwing all of their inspiration in a blender and pouring out a concoction of metal, noise, and grooves.
“Altar” is the result of Ooluu’s evolution over the years, from tribal to industrial to progressive. The versatility of “Altar” is impressive, as you can listen to it while you’re stoned at the park, or as background music while you sacrifice small animals in the woods.
How many other songs do you know that have that kind of range?
