Omen
Escape To Nowhere

THE REVIEW

Once upon a time, there was a band capable of standing on par with their "cousins" Manilla Road and the highly acidic Cirith Ungol. Once upon a time, there was a band capable of effortlessly immersing themselves in the dusty American studios and unleashing all the possible youthful power in an antiquarian masterpiece like "Battle Cry." Once upon a time, there was a band so convinced of their abilities that they could confirm the goodness of their offering even in "Warning of Danger" and "The Curse."

That was a band with ironclad grit, capable of producing from 1984 to 1986, three full-lengths of inestimable importance for the birth, development, and consolidation of U.S. epic metal and heavy music more generally. They managed to make a name for themselves in the U.S. underground, partly thanks to J. D. Kimball's atypical voice, fitting for heavy but a faithful shouter even if it had been power or thrash. It is precisely the singer's figure that is tied to the gestation of "Escape to Nowhere," the fourth work of Americans Omen, from 1988. Kimball was replaced by Coburn Pharr, future vocalist of Annihilator. In him lies the misfortune of the entire work of Omen: if indeed a certain "tiredness" in songwriting is perceived, due to a Kenny Powell (guitar) not entirely inspired, the major faults fall precisely on the newcomer behind the microphone, who seems on another planet compared to the band. His voice is too ungraceful to adapt to the overall atmosphere of the album, too distant from Kimball's standards, whose presence constantly looms over Pharr's head.

This is the main reason for the not entirely successful opener "It's Not Easy", with Pharr seemingly wanting to mimic Tim Baker (Cirith Ungol) in the situation, unfortunately for him without succeeding. Charming but futile for a studio effort is "Radar Love", a cover of the seminal old-style rock Dutch combo Golden Earring. The group gives the impression of having lost that explosive power that had brought them to the forefront from the beginning: if indeed there are well-conceived vocal lines and melodies in "Escape to Nowhere" and "Cry for the Morning", the strength, the metallic screech of Powell's six strings, muffled and less efficient than it had been in the past, is missing. This overall flattening is also evident in "Nomads", which reeks of filler from the title onwards, while in "Poisoned" one can briefly breathe the air of the band's furious battle starts, even if only for a few moments. Then it's useless to think about what this piece's chorus would have been like sung by Kimball.

It is in many little things that "Escape to Nowhere" fails to convince, starting with the cover, very different from what Omen had accustomed us to. The absence of Kimball, the lost musical fury and a future not quite rosy (the band will take a long hiatus after this work), contribute to casting the first heavy shadows on Omen's breath: once regular and reassuring, after "Escape to Nowhere," in constant distress.

1. "It's Not Easy" (5:11)
2. "Radar Love" (6:08)
3. "Escape To Nowhere" (4:20)
4. "Cry For The Morning" (4:06)
5. "Thorn In Your Flesh" (4:05)
6. "Poisoned" (4:33)
7. "Nomads" (3:17)
8. "King Of The Hill" (4:09)
9. "No Way Out" (3:16)