"Four nihilistic Hodes to the bones and the crypts, spawned from the deranged minds behind Malauriu, Eraser and Anamanesi, during the last worldwide quarantine. Black metal bestiality and sleaze inspired to the decayed catacombs and ancient debris in Sicily, lone vestiges of a dark and esoteric past." These are the words used to describe independent, Sicilian black metal band OSSARIO. The group has recently released their debut EP, having just formed in the past few months. The artwork is simple and reminiscent of old school black metal.

The first track, "We're All Born to Die", begins with a vocal sample. Bridging the gap between black metal and thrash, the production is far better than what you would expect from an album written and recorded within a few months of the band being formed. The guitar tones are very modern and heavy, maintaining the clarity of the riff while still adhering to the genre they intend to. The vocals are very well performed with no fear or hesitation. This is a performance by a group that, while new together, has individually been perfecting their craft before this point. Any first-time listener would assume this band had been together several years.

"Millennial Fears" begins with a much more depressive, doomy style riff. Slow and bludgeoning, the cymbals fade out until the main riff is introduced. The song is well crafted with distinct arrangements, fluid transitions and well thought out composition. While the songwriting may not be anything revolutionary, I certainly would not be opposed to having this played in the car or at a party.

"Torment Sweet Torment" begins with a riff far heavier than anything before it. Launching into the verse with an early 80's thrash style riff and shouted vocals. Easily the catchiest song on the EP, with memorable guitar lines and dynamic drumming.  The final track, "Rigor Mortis Boner (Necromance)", begins as the "blackest" of all the tracks. It is dark and showcases all of the classic black metal tendencies. But the EP very nicely trades off black for thrash very often. An otherwise stale and uninteresting EP has been made very listenable because it is grounded in more than just black metal. It's catchy, has a bounce to it, and is very hooky. Despite this the song still remains heavy.

The EP overall is very promising for what more this band may be able to accomplish in the future. The quarantine may be the reason why the group was formed, but after it has concluded I believe that this band will have no problem achieving what they aim for. It will only be a matter of time before they refine their sound more and create something truly indicative of their personalities. The best black metal does not always come from being kvlt, satanic and gimmicky. Those things are great and can create a mystique around some bands. However, the bands that take themselves too seriously are usually never that great. OSSARIO is an example of a band that knows to focus on the music, and create good songs.