Killing Addiction - Omega Factor

KILLING ADDICTION - Omega Factor (JL America - CD 1993)

I don’t remember when I have heard about Killing Addiction for the first time. Certainly I wasn’t familiar with this band in the 90’s, when the band was still around, releasing their demos and debut LP. I think it was only around the mid 00’s, when this name popped up somewhere and I thought it would be cool to collect the only album, which Killing Addiction did back in the 90’s, which was “Omega Factor”, released in 1993 by JL America (the same label, which released the stuff of Nocturnel, Malicious Onslaught, Morpheus Descends, Deteriorate, Excruciating Pain – so nice, collectable roster, even if they were mainly more mediocre death metal bands). And so I did. I didn’t pay much for it, which was a bargain, as my copy is just in mint condition and more so, nowadays, when there’s the hype for this sort of old school death metal releases and the first, original copies (I don’t think that “Omega Factor” was ever re-released… not yet, at least) goes even for over 50 euros. So yeah, I did get the album, but you know what? I think I already wrote that in another review, but not everything what is death metal and was recorded in the glorious early 90’s must instantly be a killer and cult recording. There are many examples for that… and I am afraid that “Omega Factor” is just one of them. I remember that I didn’t really enjoy thier music so much, when I bought the CD and yesterday I’ve played it again, after few years, and I was just right… I still don’t like what this band has done on this record. It is unoriginal, it is unpassionate, it is just terribly boring and unremarkable death metal. This is sort of death metal, which you listen to and think “oh, this is one of the reasons why the people got fed up with this music so quickly in the mid 90’s… because every crappy band got their album released, even though the music wasn’t even half as good as it should be!”

OK., “Omega Factor” is not the most terrible death metal record, which I have heard. I actually like few things on it. For instance I really like the production of this album – it is heavy, brutal, with really awesome guitar tone and great drums’ sound. The overall production is quite raw, but fits perfectly to death metal, in my opinion. Then “Omega Factor” has some quite fine songs like the title song and “Nothing Remains”… there are some riffs, which I like and stylistically if you dig the American death metal similar to bands like Baphomet, Suffocation, Morpheus Descends, etc. then you know the game well… it is chunky, brutal death metal, mainly based on slower or mid paced tempos, but with some occasional faster parts of sheer brutality. But the songwriting in most of the songs on “Omega Factor” is just very mediocre. Mostly the albums lacks of really memorable moments and truly killer, powerful riffs. More so, I feel totally bored by the vocals. Sorry to say, but what Pat Bailey did on this record must be one of the most unimaginative and dull death metal growls and arrangements, which I have heard in my life. Not only the sound of the growl of this guy is dull and sounds mainly like a pointless barking, without any idea and real arrangements, but he basically sounds completely lifeless and the same through the whole album. These vocals are I think the main reason why I just don’t like “Omega Factor”.

If you will put everything together – boring, annoying vocals and mediocre riffs – then at some point of listening to “Omega Factor” you can feel like you’re not even able to distinguish one song from another, nothing really stays in your mind and personally I felt not only bored by this music, but also totally annoyed. I love death metal records played with passion, enthusiasm, which erupt with pure brutal energy and also have great songwriting, killer memorable riffs and ideas… “Omega Factor” hasn’t really got anything of these elements. Few decent riffs or a couple of better songs is not enough. I much more prefer such LPs as “Dead Shall Inherit”, “Iniquitous”, “Bleed for Us to Live” and “Dreams of the Carrion Kind” – these LPs cause a serious bloodshed and I always feel a great neckache after listening to them. Killing Addiction works like a sleeping pill. Uggghhh, I am not surprised also that their comeback album “Fall of the Archetypes” is also totally unremarkable and boring… Some people just don’t have the guts and talent to play killer death metal, whether they tried to do it in the 90’s or 00’s. This must have been the reason why Killing Addiction didn’t get the recognition with their album... In comparison, Rottrevore was a killer band and now returned after two decades with a killer EP. We cannot say the same about Killing Addiction.

Standout tracks: “Nothing Remains”

Final rate: 60/100