Artist: ohGr
Label: SPV Records
Release: 2008
Rating: 3.5/5
ohGr is a project from Canadian composer Nivek Ogre and American producer Mark Walk. Both are multi-instrumentalists and already carry serious clout in the music industry. Ogre also made a name for himself as one of the leading members of Canadian industrial rockers Skinny Puppy. On Devils in my Details, the two main players are joined by poet Bill Moseley, who lends his voice to a few tracks and recites socially critical poetry.
Their music is mostly built on the industrial rock that Skinny Puppy were famous for. In the more ambient moments it even sounds a bit like the work of metal converts such as Burzum or Mortiis, but on ohGr the industrial rock side wins out. There’s even a bit of electronic music in there. All these ideas and influences add up to a whole that’s pretty original and works incredibly well. A little metal, some ambient, electronica, industrial rock, even a touch of rap and voila – you get a mix that might look like a weird collage of genres, but in reality it works really well. The constant jumping between hard-hitting metal and industrial rock riffs and gentle ambient passages has just the right effect. Sure, maybe ohGr aren’t as good as their role models in any single department. For ambient, Burzum and Mortiis are way better, and the industrial metal and rock moments aren’t exactly the most convincing either, but the combination of it all clicks, and that’s exactly what makes this project shine. I think ohGr would fit in nicely on Cold Meat Industries, a label that specializes in industrial ambient releases, so the fact that a bigger label like SPV took them in is all the more impressive, since projects like this are usually super obscure.
The music rests mainly on the successful interplay between heavy guitar and gentle, atmospheric synths. Then there’s the vocals. It’s not really a conventional voice, more spoken word and the occasional bit of rap. The point of the music isn’t technical perfection but a dark effect, helped along by the industrial production.
From the very start it’s clear what kind of music you’re in for, but that doesn’t take anything away from the final impact. Sure, the music follows the same formula throughout, but the concept is well grounded and the music is built on solid foundations too. So if you’re into both metal and more experimental musical territory, and you’re open to some socially critical themes, this album should work for you, at least in some ways.
Line-up
Nivek Ogre (Kevin Graham Ogilvie) – instruments, vocals
Mark Walk – instruments, vocals
Bill Moseley – poetry/spoken word on 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11
Production
ohGr
Track list
1. Shhh
2. Eyecandy
3. Three
4. Feelin’ Chicken
5. Pepper
6. D.Angel
7. Psychoreal
8. Whitevan
9. Timebomb
10. Smogharp
11. Witness
