Bad Omens - Finding God Before God Finds Me (2019)^{Release ID: 24811}

I have a lot to find in modern metal. I have my own journey of discovering as many modern metal as I can to expand my collection. They started off with more of a metalcore sound in their solid 2016 debut while adding in their later fantastic alt-metal sound. Having been signed to Sumerian Records and going on different tours and shows, no wonder they're able to mark their modern metal territory. And their second album continues to seal that deal!

Finding God Before God Finds Me came out in 2019 and fans were prepared for the question, is there hope? Well, the Bring Me the Horizon vibes are more prominent, and while many listeners were turned off, it made things much better for me.

"Kingdom of Cards" practically starts where the previous album ended with "The Fountain". There isn't any thunderous metal riffing, but it shines with anthemic beauty, a bit like early 2010s Linkin Park but greater (no disrespect to Chester Bennington, RIP). It is a pleasant start to the journey, and I enjoy the vocals by Noah Sebastian. "Running in Circles" is quite great, but while it's not weak in any way, it's my least favorite track here. The BMTH influences are so apparent, that it sounds like an outtake from Sempiternal. Not a totally bad things, but other listeners may digress. "Careful What You Wish For" is the album's first single, released a year prior. That well-thought track is worth every penny! "The Hell I Overcame" follows as another good track. It brings back the heaviness of their debut with natural vocals and production.

Surprising you hard is "Dethrone", the heaviest track in the album. In contrast to the clean soft tracks, that one has Emmure-like moshing moments to make it clear that Bad Omens can be considered metal. "Blood" is another heavy hitter, with less focus on clean singing, unless you count the deep viking-like chanting, "IT'S IN OUR BLOOD!" The powerful strength for their more brutal side is really prevailing. Then as you can hear in "Mercy", everything calms down again for something similar to BMTH's softer tracks.

"Said & Done" is where the band continues to evolve. It's more of a melodic rocker with sweet soloing. The vocals again show some similarity to Bring Me the Horizon, while both stand far away from each other in each side of the unburned bridge. "Burning Out" is a true hit. The vocal melodies are totally worth singing along to. "If I'm There" has sweet uplifting melody to end this 10-track adventure. Well, 13 tracks if you count the deluxe reissue, but those bonus tracks aren't as strong and perfect as the original album, except their wonderful cover of Duran Duran's "Come Undone".

Bad Omens has brought on a lot more of a fresh alt-metal sound to go with some of their earlier metalcore. While their debut has powerful songs, Finding God Before God Finds Me has more complete maturity with true gems all over. They shall keep moving forward!

Favorites: "Kingdom of Cards", "Careful What You Wish For", "Dethrone", "Blood", "Burning Out", "Come Undone" (Duran Duran cover, bonus track)