Music Review: Oddnote – ‘Oddnote’ Seethes With Potent Energy

Oddnote’s self-titled album came out in the middle of January 2018. From Nashville, Oddnote is the brainchild of Arman Asadsangabi whose goal is to blend contemporary rock, alternative rock, and classic rock sounds.

“Timeless,” a short Led Zeppelin-like psychedelic piece, opens the album. “Money Comes, Money Goes” begins with heavy, dirty guitars flowing into a rock melody full of dark potent energy. Asadsangabi’s formidable vocals infuse the tune with growling, omnipotent colors. “Life Plays on Life” rambles with Zeppelin-esque shuddering dynamism, the stuttering rock melody pulsing with remarkable contorted resonance.

Powerful Vocals, Dirty Guitars

“Used” throbs with heavy guitar chords and marvelously livid vocals. Rumbling barking colors flow from the dominant guitars, cramming the atmosphere with howling, groaning vitality. “Peace of Mind” features quavering psychedelia, as well as raucous industrial sounds, like an interlude from the bowels of Hell. “Icy Hell” rides a grungy melody that ascends with breathtaking effrontery, like Nirvana on steroids. This is a superb tune.

“615” is another grunge-flavored tune, rife with dirty guitars and screeching vocals. The drums are flat and crisp, pulsating with righteous concise snaps. Wailing, thick vocals punch out with ferocity. “Neurons” offers a punk melody melded with snarling guitars and reedy grating vocals. When the music descends, it assumes misty kaleidoscopic hues punctuated by quivering synths. “Dimension 9” presents another interlude full of industrial synths and strident pigments.

“Why” packs abrupt insubordinate guitars, muddy with untrammeled dynamism. The vocals achieve impudent tones full of raging timbres and gruff textures. “Reckless Movement” offers a quasi-death-metal melody vexed with vibrating effluvia that hammer like Thor. I love the background vocals, which give the tune a ghostly, hooting sensibility. “Smoke Break” presents a strabismic, arid intermission.

Primitive Power and Visceral Rhythms

“Bad Tabs” grinds on a dirty bluesy melody aching with primitive power. The dark thumping rhythm rams its way into your viscera. “Laser Beam” delivers oodles of punk attitude with pounding waves of relentless magnitude that subside to undulating, meandering guitars and reverberating tom-toms before blasting off once more. The last tune on the album, entitled “…” is a psychedelic spiral of clashing guitar ambiances.

The album was recorded at DogFox Studio in Nashville, and features Asadsangabi on vocals; Joseph Downing on guitar; Rocko Beall on guitar; Nick Huff on bass; and Matt Millstein on percussion. The band begins touring in support of it in February.

Oddnote has it going on in a big way. The storming melodies pack a supercharged punch and thunderous rhythms. And the vocals provide just the right amount of fulminating energy. If you’re into powerful rock music, then Oddnote deserves your full attention.

Follow Oddnote on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

https://soundcloud.com/oddnote/sets/oddnote