Being the bands’ second ever full EP release, most of you may not have come across Australian quartet To Octavia before, but boy does this tick a lot of boxes. They cross over a plethora of genres across alternative, rock and metal with fusions and flavours from some of the most popular bands across these genres such as Pierce The Veil, Beartooth, Bury Tomorrow and even hints of Bring Me The Horizon along the way. For those a bit closer to home in the UK metal scene, this EP really does have a flavour of Bristolian band RXPTRS!
There is no messing about with this 6-track storm of songs with the melodic drums and heavy riffs of ‘Fall Into The Sun’, and the same goes for the second track ‘The Sound of the Rain’ which is the first single from the EP and boy, does the headbanging and melodic masterpieces and riffs continue here – you can’t catch your breath!
The next track is ‘COCO MOJO’ which lets you catch your breath just a little bit. It has a very groovy techno style melody as the introduction and in between the continuing chaotic screaming vocals from frontman Merry Kirk-Holmes and catchy guitar rhythms and melodies. Next, we have the track ‘Sleep’ which again brings something different to this EP with a brief, mellow introduction as well as some beautifully harmonic vocals, but still having similar melodies and embracing guitar riffs!
The fifth track ‘Unknown Worlds’ has a more mysterious, grungier vibe and style around it and keeps you guessing what the next verse will bring. This makes the mind think a lot more and seems to have a more powerful message and meaning about it which is quite a contrast from the bellowing sounds of the earlier tracks, albeit still a great addition to this EP. The same goes for the last track ‘Edge of the Universe’ and I think the introduction in this track really captures how it would feel if that were the real-life position you were in! This is again a slightly calmer song to end this EP, but ends it in style with the same captivating vocals and melodic feel throughout!
For the new wave of modern metal and alternative bands, I really think this EP will catapult To Octavia into the big time and this is a must listen!
Somewhere In A World, Not Of The Dream is available across all streaming platforms.
Words by Kristofer Billingham.
Post-Punk Press 