REVIEWS

NEW EP: Late Nights in Your Room

Onism, a young metal band from Delaware, recently released their killer EP “Late Nights in Your Room.” The distinctive, driving guitars and drums of the EP deliver a dark and passionate feel. It carries this eerie groove throughout the tracks.

Brandon Sullivan (vocalist) disclosed that he wanted every song to be perfect and nothing short of that. He said, “the recording process was a mess. I would say I think everyone hated me in the studio because I would get very nervous.” He went on, “I remember what our studio engineer said exactly, and that was ‘any mess-ups or hiccups give the song more personality.’ Temporary Madness is a good example because the whole song itself is MADNESS, and once the bridge hits, we all bring it together and ease back out into MADNESS!”

There had been crazy line-up changes since Onism was “Aerobomb.” The idea to start a band came to the trio while watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Brandon, Daniel (Onim’s current drummer), and Aaiden (previous keyboardist) all thought it’d be dope to “do something like Sex Ob Bomb, which was the band in that movie.” Aerobomb went through tons of members and arguments before becoming Onism. However, Brandon has a pretty optimistic outlook. “The band has been through a lot of changes, and it probably will continue, but at the end of the day, for the people who come in and out of Onism, they all leave a footprint, and there’s always something new and great with each musician that steps foot in that rehearsal room.”

The most recent addition to Onism is Lily (bassist). “She has been very great and creative with our new songs that are in the making.”

(left from right) Brandon, vocalist, Joesph, ex-lead guitarist, and Lily, a bassist who plays with a pick.

“Late Nights in Your Room” begins with a short prologue before jumping into a compelling track. “Beyond the Grave” is filled with big drums, snarky, punchy guitar lines, and eerie vocals full of character. I immensely enjoy the song for the catchy and animated lyrics. The intro to this piece is relatively slow, but quickly the pace is changed to something heavier and faster.

The second track, “Temporary Madness,” was easily one of my favorite songs. Both the story and musicality are sick. I find a lot of connection to the story behind the track. Brandon wrote to me what the song meant to him, “Temporary Madness for me at least means the so-called love one feels for someone [else] is temporary.” He clarifies, “I don’t truly believe that, but in most instances, people claim to love someone in a romantic manner based off the chemical high someone gets when they crush on someone. And once that chemical high fades off, you start to notice more flaws than you did before. You have to make a choice whether to look past those flaws and truly love someone and be committed to them. But not a lot of people can commit, unfortunately, which leads to broken hearts.”

I love the word Brandon used, “chemical high,” and I couldn’t explain this situation any better. It hits a hard spot. Not only does the context of the song sink in extremely deep, but so do the guitar lines. It’s a brilliant song. Drummer Daniel did a fantastic job throughout the EP; however, he added a lot of personality to this track.

The third track, “Book Cover,” flawlessly demonstrates their eerie groove as well as a mass untamed feel during the intro. Between that rugged sound in Brandon’s voice – that suits their music perfectly – and the excellent guitar lines, I couldn’t help but listen to this song on repeat.

As we reach the end of “Late Night in Your Room,” we get something entirely different than what we’ve heard throughout the EP. It’s a lovely yet abrupt change. The vocals and guitars are very captivating. The track feels like a crossover between Nirvana and Pearls and Brass (like a song from their album ‘Indian Tower’). It’s charming and almost delicate, especially as we reach the end. Not only is it something quite different from the rest of the EP it also has a pleasant folk feel.

Overall I am so glad I got to hear this fantastic EP. I cant wait to see what comes next from Onism.