THE OFFERING is a four-piece band from Boston who by their own account started out playing in different local Punk bands and got together to form a Metal band. They've released an eponymous EP in 2017 in which they've showcased their unique sound, and that led to an offer for a contract with Century Media. As is evident also on their debut "Home," the band is pretty open minded about their approach, perhaps because of their non-Metal background that gives them some distance and so they don't feel that they have to mimic a particular band or sound. Be it as it may, their style is really eclectic and original. Broadly speaking you can compare them to modern Power Metal bands like KOBRA AND THE LOTUS or UNLEASH THE ARCHERS: their songs have catchy, soaring vocal melodies, but the music is at the time very guitar-centered and all the performances are very impressive. But THE OFFERING also incorporate a variety of influences like Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Deathcore and the result is pretty slick but fresh sounding modern Metal that is catchy and melodic but has bite at the same time.

All the songs on the album have a rather dark tone, usually there is a fast, aggressive verse with screamed vocals and thrashy, chugging riffs and a big chorus with a soaring melody. The melodies are catchy, but never sound corny like the Pop choruses of some of the more commercial Metalcore bands - I often get an almost Classic Heavy Metal vibe from them. At the same time modern influences abound, be it the bouncy Metalcore or Melo-Death riffs, or even breakdowns, or the aggressive vocal style also associated with more modern styles of Metal. "Ultraviolence" is a good example of how eclectic the band's sound can be: after a short fleshy guitar intro comes a really aggressive verse with crunchy Melo-Death riffing, mixed with the singing are death growls and even pig squeals. I like the song's climactic ending: the singer ends the chorus with a high-pitched scream and the song ends with a sort of buildup where the scream is repeated at an increasingly higher pitch until it reaches insane heights.

"A Dance With Diana" has a very groovy, heavy verse that has a bit of a SLIPKNOT or perhaps STRAPPING YOUNG LAD vibe, and the chorus is powerful - one of the more memorable ones. The song takes a bit of a Progressive turn in the last third that is entirely instrumental: there is a trippy mellow section followed by an explosive climactic part that sounds equally off-kilter. Speaking of progressive tendencies - the band goes full-on Prog on the title song which closes the album. It's a 14 minutes long monster of a track that shifts between mellow and driving melodic sections, and there are some really heavy, Death Metal parts as well. The song is very dynamic but doesn't lose direction. Another highlight for me is "Glory": the verse is super punchy, the chorus is impactful, and the song has a sweet pre-chorus with a great hook and a nice tapped guitar lick. The album as a whole is pretty damn consistent in terms of quality and every song as well as the whole album is well worth repeated listens.

This is a great album especially for a debut. The musical and songwriting chops that these guys have are undeniable, I'm really interested in what this band - whose members are all pretty young and full of potential - will come up with. Don't be afraid to accept what is offered here.