Written By Kevin McSweeney
Oh, it’s awake, all right! UK melodic death metal upstarts Olympus have only just come to our attention, but the Colchester quintet’s debut EP, Knowing It Shall Wake, which was released independently on April 24th, is the culmination of a lot of hard work and heartache. To quote drummer Oz Hassan:
This EP has been a long journey for us. We’ve poured a lot of time, work, and emotion into these songs, and it feels great to finally share them. We’re so beyond proud of what we’ve made.
But is this pride justified? There’s only one way to find out. In this Olympus Knowing It Shall Wake EP review we’ll go through the four tracks on offer here and see if the only way for the Essex outfit is towards a position of prominence in the UK metal scene.
Olympus Knowing It Shall Wake EP Review Breakdown
Knowing It Shall Wake
We are eased, if that’s the right word (it probably isn’t), into the EP with an instrumental in the form of the title track.
Though it might be an instrumental, Knowing It Shall Wake opens with the kind of sombre tones over which one might expect to hear the doleful vocals of Chester Bennington, may he rest in peace.
We don’t remain in potential nü metal territory for long, however, as this soon gives way to a verse section that would not be out of place in the 1980s hair metal scene.
For sure, it would be attributable to one of the darker-sounding bands of that ilk, such as Dokken or Skid Row, rather than, say, Poison, but it’s far removed from anything I’d know as death metal, even of the melodic variety.
Even the synths are delicate embellishments of the melody, rather than being ominous or funereal, as extreme metal synths tend to be.
A chorus section follows that is much more in the metalcore vein, with its plaintive lead guitar riff from the very Irish-sounding Ruaidhri Conroy, and with Hassan’s drums sounding like sporadic bursts of machine gun fire, before being swept away by a sea of feedback.
They don’t hang around with this one, wrapping it up in just over three minutes. The track serves, not so much as an intro exactly, but as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite for the sumptuous main course to come. Speaking of which…
Emperor
Emperor is, so far as I can tell, not a tribute to the iconic black metal band of the same name.
They take the heaviness up a few notches with this one, not least due to the introduction of the ferocious roars of Jason Dugal. We’re still very much in metalcore country musically, however.
The opening riff that emerges and launches us into a 6/8 time groove is one that will meet with the approval of many a Killswitch Engage fan.
There’s a theory that metalcore as a subgenre was derived primarily from melodic death metal, with the seminal At The Gates album Slaughter of The Soul often being attributed as the catalyst. Certain similarities with prominent metalcore artists are perhaps inevitable, therefore.
As much as I love death metal vocals, it’s a shame, on this occasion at least, that they render the words indecipherable, as there’s some fine lyrical footwork on display here. (Huge thanks to Since Always Press for providing me with a lyric sheet!)
The dark and grisly references to nature bring to mind the poetry of Ted Hughes.
The cruel maiden harbored,
Demise for earth-born
Slithering through the soil
Like spawn of The Great Worm
…you take
This banquet of flesh
To the grave
That last allusion reminded me of the reference to the bluefly, tsetse and mosquito at their “sundry flesh pots” in Crow’s First Lesson.
We get the Maiden/Priest-style harmonised leads that are hallmarks of the output of the aforementioned At The Gates, but also of metalcore luminaries such as Bullet For My Valentine.
What we don’t get at any stage, however, is any trace of clean singing, which is primarily what keeps it rooted in death metal.
That’s not to say that it lacks moments that might inspire fans to roar along. The chant of “Em! Por! Er! Of nothing!” is tailor-made for a fist-pumping crowd interaction.
Whereas Conroy’s Van Halen-style two-handed tapping just shy of the five-minute mark is manna from Heaven for air guitar enthusiasts, not that we should be sleeping on the hard yards being put in by the less ostentatious but no less able Daniel Barratt and Reece Cash.
Revenant
Revenant is the EP’s most recent single, which is surprising, given its stature. It’s a hefty beast, weighing in at just under seven minutes, and is probably the most ferocious specimen in show. As for the lyrical content, well, let’s just go ahead and quote the band themselves:
Revenant reflects on betrayal and the long aftermath of being broken down. It centres on someone worn down by the weight of it all, pushed through repeated hardship, shaped and changed by it. The song looks at how those experiences leave lasting scars, shaping a person as much through survival as through the damage they carry.
The track shares a title with a Leonardo DiCaprio movie but, unlike Leo, it flirts with things that were around in the 1990s.
Take for example the mid-90s groove metal intro. It could have been from Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes album, or Fear Factory’s Demanufacture. (I know FF were not a groove metal band, but they were groove metal-adjacent. Shut up!)
It then opens up into a moderately fast 6/8 time stompalong of which Lamb of God would be justly proud.
Around two minutes in, it switches things up, entering into progressive death metal territory with some intricate riff and ride cymbal work that brings to mind Cynic’s Veil of Maya.
I am reminded of Machine Head once again when, around four and a half minutes in, they launch into a breakdown that is not unlike the one that brings Davidian to a close.
The breakdown in question does not bring this track to a close, however. That honour would go to a key change. Everyone gets one, gentlemen. Don’t abuse the privilege.
Out of Reach
Closing track Out of Reach is, regrettably, not a cover of the gentle soul ballad by their fellow British musical artist Gabrielle. That would have been interesting. Instead, it’s a gargantuan final track, clocking in at over eight minutes, but seemingly going by in half that time.
It’s a distinctly melodic track. I know it’s melodic death metal, but this is melodic in a way that, were it not for the big, scary guitars, rolling kick drums and guttural vocals, might actually result in them courting mainstream appeal.
It’s a testament to their integrity that they’ve insisted on persisting with exclusively harsh vocals. If they’d cleaned that department up a bit, they’d be creating the kind of songs that Luisa, aka Luweazl, would be making TikToks to.
Images might spring to mind of tears not falling but crashing around them, but they’ve chosen snarling over sobbing to their immense credit.
Having said that, there is the lyric: “The future looks so bright, don’t turn away/When it all comes crashing down.”
I know it’s not specifically relevant to the Bullet For My Valentine song I’ve just alluded to, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.
In terms of the lyrical content, what seems to be out of reach in this instance is, as Douglas Adams put it, “the answer to life, the universe and everything.” (42! It’s 42, guys!)
There’s a riff I’d like to draw your attention to that first manifests itself at just shy of the two-minute mark.
This riff would not be out of place on albums such as Def Leppard’s Pyromania or David Lee Roth’s Skyscraper.
Actually, I’ve got a better example. Does anyone remember the song Love Criesby Stage Dolls? If so, you’re really old, like me, and therefore far too old for Leonardo DiCaprio.
That’s the kind of riff I’m talking about, and it forms the basis of an anthemic chorus, along with these lines:
I’ll! Do! Anything for you! To! Prove! Everything to you!
Once again, these words are just begging to be roared out, fists aloft, by an enthralled crowd. I haven’t yet had the pleasure, but they sound like they’d be a compelling live act.
The latter section of the song contains enough of a hint of a four-chord progression to make The Axis of Awesome sit up and take notice.
It commences with clean guitar and a continuation of the aforementioned riff, but now in 6/8 time, which leads to a solo that is played from the heart, rather than one borne of a desire to flaunt frenetic fingering skills.
It compliments the song instead of clamouring for attention. Anyway, we return to 4/4 time in a section with a bit of a gallop to it, in the style of Iron Maiden.
The riff here is not radically different to one that crops up in the middle of Infinite Dreams from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album.
This brings us back to that anthemic chorus, which… Hang on! Was that another key change? Jesus Christ, lads!
It’s not the fucking X Factor! And no, I’m not referring to the Iron Maiden album from the Blaze Bayley era.
As I was saying, the anthemic chorus draws both song and EP to a close in a manner that has the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, despite the gratuitous key change!. It’s astonishing that a song that long could go by so quickly.
So, there we have it. While it’s not the most overtly death metal of the melodic death metal releases you’re likely to encounter this year, it is an emphatic opening statement from a promising British band.
Besides which, it won’t do to be too predictable, you know. That’s what makes it exciting to see what they’ll do next.
This Olympus Knowing It Shall Wake EP review makes one thing clear, they have awakened, dear readers, and that their debut full-length album, when it comes, could well be special, like something handed down by the Gods from atop a fabled mountain in Greece. You know the one I mean. I forget what it’s called.
Metal Lair awards Knowing It Shall Wake by Olympus four and a half devil horns.
Purchase Knowing It Shall Wake Here:
Track listing:
1. Knowing it Shall Wake
2. Emperor
3. Revenant
4. Out of Reach
Band Members:
Jason Dugal – Vocals
Reece Cash – Bass
Daniel Barratt – Rhythm guitar and BV
Ruaidhri Conroy – Lead guitar
Oz Hassan – Drums
Upcoming Shows
21/05/26 – BOURNEMOUTH, Anvil
19/06/26 – IPSWICH, The Smokehouse
26/06/26 – BRIGHTON, Daltons
12/09/26 – COLCHESTER, Three Wise Monkeys
14/11/26 – COLCHESTER, Arts Centre
(MORE TBA)
Tickets available here:
Olympus Online:
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Read More From This Author:
Album Review: Wildcard by Death Warmed Up
Dive into our Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis album review
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