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Om

When the almighty Sleep split over the controversies of their Jerusalem/Dopesmoker album, Matt Pike went on to front the grease and adrenaline driven High On Fire while Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius became known as Om (the two other members Justin Marler and Matt Hakius formed their own, lesser known band The Sabians). The duo of Om seem more interested in revisiting the stoner/space rock side of the Sleep sound instead of it's more metal-oriented leanings (which has been fulfilled by High On Fire). An Om album rarely has more than two to four tracks, all extended to epic proportions and all focus around occult themes much like Sleep's classic Holy Mountain album. In fact, some of Om's lyrics seem to have been directly taken from that same album. Talk of wizards, fantastical lands, space and religious details often find their way into the lyrics. I sometimes under the impression that I'm hearing the soundtrack to some dungeons and dragons game taking place in some pimply-faced teenager's basement, but thankfully, the music makes up for the sometimes silly lyrics. Slow, incredibly atmospheric and dynamic, Om's music is so addictive, it never has time to become tedious or dull. You'll find yourself nodding or tapping your feet or fingers to the music no matter what you are doing at the time (and that's if you are not all alone and able to headbang at a snail's pace with no one able to see you).

It took a few years for me to actually go ahead and buy Om's records, not because of my budget, but simply because I was interested in other sounds at the time. When my taste for doom finally came back in early 2009, I decided to get a bunch of renowned artists in the genre and Om had always been high up on my list. They've been the one's I turn to when in need of something that is fucking heavy as hell but not too aggressive. There's something unexplainably dignified about their sound which I simply can't figure out and this makes them even more fascinating to these ears.

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