Album review: Bad Omens – CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST]

Bad Omens were a well-known band in the metalcore scene for years, but, in what felt like the blink of an eye, they became the name to know. Ferociously catapulted to the spotlight with The Death Of Peace Of Mind in 2022, the band have pushed the boundaries of metalcore, and even what that word and sound actually mean in the 21st century. They refuse to stay still, constantly breaking and reshaping the rules to their whim, morphing their music into endless forms.

Separated into three distinct parts by instrumental tracks, their new project CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST] extends and expands the world that Bad Omens introduced with The Death Of Peace Of Mind. Their deadly recipe of a whopping 26 songs consists of collaborations, reimagined tracks, and coveted live performances, varying from fusions of hard rock and industrial, dark pop, grunge, EDM, and modern rock.

On top of this genre-busting display, Bad Omens boast otherworldly collaborations with Poppy, Bob Vylan, WARGASM and so many more, showcasing an impressive depth of understanding of modern music and innovation. Often straddling the pitch-black line of dark electropop and metalcore, each collaboration has its own identity without ever overlapping. Transitioning seamlessly into reimagined, lo-fi, and remixed tracks from The Death Of Peace Of Mind, Bad Omens dare to push the envelope even further, bridging a gap between brawling heaviness and EDM on ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE [UNZIPPED] and bringing new emotional heft to JUST PRETEND [CREDITS].

Arguably, the highlight of this over-90-minute record is the third and final act: the live tracks. The integration and interwoven nature of both destructive guitars and electronics are impeccably balanced, as frontman Noah Sebastian shines like a supernova while his band manage to convey a vast array of human experience and emotion through crushing yet poignant instrumentation.

From their metalcore roots to the experimental industrial sound-clashes found on CONCRETE JUNGLE, Bad Omens have created a stopgap record worth stopping, listening to, and listening to again. And again. And again.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Bring Me The Horizon, Dayseeker, Sleep Token

READ THIS: Bad Omens: “We’re not going to do anything to compromise this”