Release Date: February 27th 2026. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD
O.O.O. - Tracklisting
OWLS
OVER
OAKS
Members
Valerio “Leynir” Possetto
Elisa “Aeretica” Iacopini
Roberto “Bob Rip” Ripollino
Review
O.O.O. is the debut album from Extreme/Doom/Drone Metallers OWLS OVER OAKS and is the first part of a planned trilogy where the band play an unsettling and nightmarish style of LOW & SLOW and down-tuned violent rhythms. The three tracks that make up the record allows the band to develop an ice-cold and pitch black delivery of certain Psychedelic and Ice-Cold BLACKENED DOOM Metal with harsh vocals to match. Helping OWLS OVER OAKS on this creative journey is the legendary James Plotkin who recorded the album entirely in analog and handled mastering duties as well.
What makes OWLS OVER OAKS standout is the absence of guitars with the band relying upon an intense DRUMS & BASS setup which is amplified by the use of long drawn out and repetitive musical passages. That sounds like a complaint but it’s one of the albums main strengths which you can hear within the epic opening track of OWLS. The sudden use of SPACE and AMBIENT textures is highly surreal and brutally volatile at the same time. The band really go in for the KILL with their use of Extreme Drone to punish your hearing with. If you dig bands such as SUNN 0))), KHANATE, BONG and Burning Witch then OWLS OVER OAKS play in that similar area of HEAVY MUSIC whilst still developing their own sound.
The music does become more fast-paced and demonically aggressive on the second track OVER where the band once again add harsh DOOMED OUT surroundings from an instrumental point of view. The guttural vocal styles are quite uncomfortable to listen to and I wish I could say I completely understand what’s being sung but unfortunately I’m not an expert with these types of vocals. Though that only adds to the whole mystery of the whole album. OWLS OVER OAKS experiment with SONIC distortion and pitch black atmospherics for a sudden shift into Progressive Metal and Psychedelic Fuzzed Out landscapes. There’s a great sense of melody that starts to develop which could easily be considered Post-Drone or Post-Black Metal.
The final track OAKS lasts for around eighteen minutes which sees the band go even further with their extreme creative ideas and distorted grooves that move even closer to the EXTREME METAL underground scene. Once again, OWLS OVER OAKS experiment with their music yet again with an almost FUNK attitude. I may sound completely crazy here but you’ll understand when you hear the whole track in full.
O.O.O. is brutally insane and completely goes off the rails at the best of times. However, there’s method to the madness here with the band delivering some catchy and riff-centric sounds along the way. Will this be for everyone, probably not. Though, if you’re a fan of Extreme Drone, Doom and Black Metal then OWLS OVER OAKS will be music to your ears and perhaps you’ll even find your favourite new band.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.
O.O.O. is available to buy now on CD/Digital Download via Argonauta Records.
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