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Omenopus The Plague Review by Gary Hill Since this project includes Bridget Wishart, one might expect it to be space rock. That’s somewhat accurate. Still, this is more exploratory, somehow. Most particularly, it has a lot of industrial or gothic music built into it. I’ve previously reviewed other material from this project, and liked it. That applies here. This certainly fits with that stuff, but also has its own particular flavor. This double disc set is a great addition to the Omenopus catalog. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Disc 1

The Plague, Pt. I (Plague of Ten) This starts with backwards tracked sounds. Very mellow and spacey, this is moody and somehow synthetic, yet organic, in tone.

The Plague, Pt. II (Plague of Fire) Beginning in similar fashion to the previous cut, this one pounds out after a time into a jam that’s sort of part proggy space rock and part industrial/goth music. It’s a killer tune.

The Plague, Pt. III (Solitude) Another mellow number, there is a percussive element that stays in the backdrop of much of the piece. That said, a little keyboard type melody is laid over the top and the vocals are slow and dreamy in a way that Wishart is particularly good at doing.

The Plague, Pt. IV (a Litany in Time of Plague) The first two and a half or so minutes are in the same kind of mellow space that makes up a lot of the music to this point. Then it pounds out into some dark and evil sounding music that’s almost metal and very gothic in nature. This is heavy and very cool.


Disc 2

Sentiments Rhythmic, sparse and spacey at first, this grows out into something with a bit of a groove from there. This cut builds sort of organically and is an intriguing number that seems somewhere between space rock and new age music.

Songline There’s a weird sort of sound that opens this, a bit like a synthetic version of throat singing. Although there is a driving rhythm that sits in the backdrop, this is mostly textural. That said, some crunchy sounds are heard in the mix.

Brookleaze Seemingly the most mellow sounds so far open this. They are also the most light and airy and organic sounds. There is almost a child-like innocence and a symphonic element at play here.

The Binary Dimension This short piece is more electronic and experimental with a lot of space in the mix.

My Secret Ghost A real rocking space sound makes up the backdrop for much of this song. Wishart half whispers, half sings. This is a pounding number that’s a big change of pace and a lot of fun.

Second Sight Coming out of the previous number, this has an active rhythmic pattern and features Wishart in a rather poetic fashion. Around the two minute mark it powers out to more industrial gothic type music.

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