Band:	Kabbalah
Album:	The Omen
Style:	Doom metal, Psychedelic rock
Release date:	January 15, 2021
A review by:	tominator

01. Stigmatized
02. Ceibas
03. Night Comes Near
04. The Ritual
05. Lamentations
06. Labyrinth
07. Duna
08. Liturgy

"And I said what about The Omen
She said I think I remember the film
And as I recall I think we both kind of liked it
And I said well that's the one thing we've got"

If you picked up on that reference, please don't ask why my brain decided to go with that intro...

Anyway, that's enough references to One Hit Wonders from 1995 and films from 1976... What is there to tell about the album The Omen from the Spanish band Kabbalah?

I will start off with the performances: they are good throughout. The instrumental part of The Omen has a bit of that fuzzy stoner sound to it. That combined with the darker doom undertones gives this record its own style. It's atmospheric and a little haunting, something that is reinforced by the vocals. A lot of that has to do with the layering of those vocals, which the band often uses on this record. It does add to the mood, and in terms of consistency in sound, I can't complain about it.

However, while the vocals are consistent with the style of The Omen, they also suffer a bit from a monotonous sound. I get why they wanted it to be smooth and even throughout the whole album, but unfortunately they suffer from a lack of depth to them, which means that they aren't as engaging as you would hope for. Lyrics wise, this album is on par with what most other bands in the genre have to offer. So, nothing that will surprise you in a huge way, but solid overall. It never really feels like it's dragging on for too long.

Now, I spoke a little bit about the style earlier on in this review and I would like to talk about that a bit more. It has obviously been influenced by some other bands. The most notable among those influences is Black Sabbath; a song like "Ceibas" for example shows a similar approach in terms of vocal melodies as the classic "Paranoid"; the emphasizing parts feel especially similar. It's the most obvious one to point out, but the influence is felt throughout the whole record.

The production is solid. At points, I wished the drums were a bit more prominent; I'm fully aware though that those are more my personal preferences speaking, rather than it being an issue due to inconsistent production. The guitars sound nice and the bass is blended in nicely, and lastly, the vocals are crystal clear in the mix.

All in all, I can say that I had a good time with this record. With a length that's just shy of the 30-minute mark, it's a rather short album. That said, as a "quick bite" kind of album, it does its job well; the short and snappy songs ensure a solid pace. Do I think The Omen will have enough staying power to be remembered five years from now? No. However, I would definitely like to see a new record in the future because there is clearly some potential here.