Oath - Unteach

Oath is a doom metal band from Greece that formed in 2021.  Their latest release, “Unteach,” is their debut full-length; they have also released an EP.

Unless you have been living under a rock, everyone knows the Greek metal scene is the stuff of legends particularly for black metal but, generally speaking, it offers a lot to the underground across many genres.   With that being said, I believe Oath is the first traditional style doom metal band I’ve heard from the country.

And, of course, this band and their album “Unteach,” is fantastic.  Whatever is in the water in Greece apparently bolsters up doom metal as much as it does black and death metal. “Unteach,” is an album that wears its influences on its sleeves, and it would be a waste of time to mention them.   I will say beyond those obvious influences, they do remind me of The Sword (when they were good) a bit so maybe they might be a more modern influence. 

But what isn’t a waste of time is how many riffs this beast has.  From the first track to the last, it is a nonstop riff fest from vocalist Andreas and bassist/drummer Manousakisr.  From slow dirges to groove laden passages that are even super catchy, Oath have pulled out all the stops with their face melting riffs.   The bass and drums are just as potent and both instruments sound stellar in the mix.  I love when a doom band has thick guitar riffs but don’t let them cover up the bass—--it’s definitely on show here and it slaps to oblivion and back.  The drums have a pervasive sound and compliment the songs’ structure so damn well.

Atmosphere wise, “Unteach” is definitely more occult and horrific than stoner and laid back.  It’s a dark album with a sinister approach that brings back the evil vibe from the doom of old.  The vocals are clean, but they sound amazing.  No stupid effects or trying too hard to be Ozzy—Andreas Androulakakis just simply sings his ass off.  

While there are plenty of classic slow moments, the band isn’t afraid to up the tempo and there are more of enough passages where they go balls out and get incredibly heavy.  A good example of this is, after a blazing solo on “Terrorcraft,”, the band enters a crushing passage around the 2:50 mark…absolutely hammering!  Not content on that, they offer a psychedelic passage near the end that sound as trippy as it does urgent and heavy.

The drums bring a huge cadence to “Alucarda 77,” as if the band is hellbent on a death march.  It’s powerful and unrelenting yet it flows within the space enough to let the solos and bass breathe enough to add even more elements. Andreas gives an exciting vocal performance after the 3:50 mark that matches the explosive drums.  Who says doom can’t be exciting with tons of energy?

My two favorite songs on the album are “Dies Capri,” and the final song, “Child of Vortex.”    The former begins with low, clean tones and stark keys that make an excellent opening for the badass riffs that follow.  For me, this is a classic example of what doom is:  slow, evil, heavy, and against the grain.  The tempo takes a subtle approach in building up and breaking down, offering an ebb and flow that makes the song seem even more bleak.  The solos in this one are among the best on the album too.

The latter is a fitting final statement for the album because it opens with an explosion of drums and riffs.  It’s a gripping song where the riffs really dig deep and show their true force of nature.  Around the 4:21 minute mark, there is a sort of “doom breakdown” and if you don’t headbang to this, then you’re dead.  At the 4:48 mark, the song hangs back for a microsecond before diving back into a total feeding frenzy of blazing notes and drums.

I can tell that Oath really feels this type of music and had a good time writing/recording/playing “Unteach.”  It translates well because I too had a damn good time with this album.   Any doomer needs this, especially if you like the less extreme styles of the genre but I promise you it’s intense enough to satisfy any type of metalhead.

Rating: Excellent