Old Outlier - From Shallow Lives to Shallow Graves

Olde Outlier is a black/death metal band from Australia, who formed from the ashes of Innsmouth; “From Shallow Lives to Shallow Graves,” is their debut album. 

I enjoyed my time with this album quite a bit–definitely a fantastic late year surprise for me.  The album has such a unique, vintage vibe—this would sound absolutely amazing on vinyl.  The production is old-school with just enough rawness to make its arcane atmosphere stand out from the shadows, without totally leaving them behind.

The mix is on point too, especially for the bass.  For the bass alone, this album is worth your money and time.  Fortunately, everything else is too and it has quite the adventurous side to it, without being bloated.  With just four tracks and a 35-minute runtime, the album is just long enough but with plenty of depth to up the replay factor. 

This is one of those albums that’s heavy and extreme without actually presenting itself as such.  It has plenty of fast paced parts mixed in with some more doom-oriented aspects, while being melodic and atmospheric when needed. 

The flow is unique too: while it doesn’t ever languish, the songs don’t get into a rush, choosing to take their time to unfurl rather than vomit forth their many ideas.  I like this a lot; it makes for a smooth listen that I don’t always get in extreme metal. 

“The Revellers,” opens the album with a violent burst of death metal, complete with galloping riffs and clever drumming that keeps the momentum going.  The bass is very melodic and follows a more independent path than just staying with the guitar the entire time. In many ways, the bass makes up the very fabric of the song.

But I don’t want to discount the guitars either, which weave catchy riffs and a ton of groove.  In many places, the guitars are hypnotic and carry the atmosphere a long way through the borders of the song.  I like the vocals a lot too, from the low growls to the raspy blackened screams.

“The Pounding of Hooves,” is probably my favorite of the four songs. The passage from 7:40 to 8:30 heavily leans into the hypnosis I spoke up earlier: nonstop grooves that hammer relentlessly even while being infectiously melodic. Little moments like the bass drop at 3:32, the clean chanting, and the more aggressive approach in the song's last couple of minutes make this a standout song.

“Swept,” is immediately gripping with the catchy rhythms created by the bass and drums. I like the moody nature of the song, as it early on throws in a clean passage to add a bit of a twist before the song fully commits to its melodic extremity.  Even the cadence of the vocals is catchy–I’d say this song is probably a decent example of what the album offers without giving too much of it away. 

The final song, “All Is Bright,” is a banger in the opening moments, what with the drums pushing the riffs and vocals forward, bringing all the elements into a tornado of energy.  This is a dark song, the stark tone of the riffs standing out well.  Around the 3:20 mark, the song ticks up the tempo for a short but blistering guitar solo but just as quickly follows it with a more soulful one after the 4-minute mark.  The following passage is clean and emotional, just as effective as the heavier moments that preceded it. Another great solo fills the breezy passage before the song returns to its heavier foundation. 

All in all, Olde Outlier’s “From Shallow Lives to Shallow Graves,” is a death/black album that isn’t afraid to take a different approach to the genre. This is an album that will appeal to a wide variety of people, perhaps even gaining the attention of those who usually ignore the darker corners of metal. 

Rating:  EXCELLENT