Grey Heavens
2016 studio album by Omnium Gatherum
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Grey Heavens is the seventh studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Omnium Gatherum. It was released on 17 February 2016 in Japan via Avalon Marquee, 19 February in Finland, and 26 February in the rest of Europe via Lifeforce.[8] It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.
| Grey Heavens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 February 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal | |||
| Length | 56:12 | |||
| Label | Lifeforce | |||
| Producer | Markus Vanhala, Teemu Aalto | |||
| Omnium Gatherum chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Grey Heavens | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Louder Sound |    [4] |
| Metal Storm | 8.3/10[5] |
| The Moshville Times | 10/10[6] |
| Sputnikmusic | 2.5/5[7] |
Production
It is the band's last album with Lifeforce, as they would later sign a deal with Century Media Records (which released Grey Heavens in America) for subsequent releases,[9] as well as their last with longtime drummer Jarmo Pikka, who initially left temporarily for a paternity leave, with Tuomo Latvala filling in, but eventually, Pikka's departure was made permanent and Latvala was promoted to being a full-time member.[10]
Reception
Grey Heavens received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. However, Andy Synn of No Clean Singing criticised the album, saying that while "it positively crackles with the band's patented musical magic, driven by the same passion and energy that made The Redshift, New World Shadows, and Beyond such thrilling, electrifying albums, ably accented by characteristic tinges of proggy melancholy and shamelessly extravagant fretboard theatrics", the album "limps rather than gallops along, with a much more uneven gait, hamstrung and prevented from reaching its full potential by a nagging feeling of over-familiarity and a sense of "been there, done that" which lingers like a vaguely unpleasant odour."[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Pit" | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Skyline" | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Frontiers" | 5:09 |
| 4. | "Majesty and Silence" | 8:36 |
| 5. | "Rejuvenate!" | 5:28 |
| 6. | "Foundation" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "The Great Liberation" | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Ophidian Sunrise" | 6:13 |
| 9. | "These Grey Heavens" | 4:25 |
| 10. | "Storm Front" | 6:13 |
Personnel
- Jukka Pelkonen – lead vocals
- Markus Vanhala – lead guitar
- Joonas "Jope" Koto – rhythm guitar, clean vocals
- Aapo Koivisto – keyboards
- Erkki Silvennoinen – bass
- Jarmo Pikka – drums
Production
- Produced by Markus Vanhala and Teemu Aalto
- Mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö
- Artwork by Olli Lappalainen