Bad Omens - Concrete Jungle (The OST) (2024)^{Release ID: 52415}

Bad Omens was rocket-launched into popularity with their 3rd album The Death of Peace of Mind, mainly due to one of its singles "Just Pretend" being used a lot in TikTok. Their next album, Concrete Jungle [The OST] continues what they have in that album with more experimentation than before...

Since there are people who often compare the band's self-titled debut with Bring Me the Horizon's Sempiternal, if we continue that comparison path, this would make the Concrete Jungle release Bad Omens' very own Music to Listen to, a remix album based on their previous one (Think we'll get a concept EP and album later?). Anyway, one third of the album has new tracks, the second third has remixes, and the final third has live versions. I'm just gonna go with the new tracks, which I consider the main meat.

"C:\Projects\CJOST\BEATDEATH" is an odd intro, but it works well for the game's main menu. Then the actual album with "V.A.N.", a kick-A collab with Poppy. To paraphrase part of the first verse, it gets more powerful every minute. Although Poppy's vocals are both beautiful and wicked, it would've been nice to hear from Bad Omens vocalist Noah Sebastian as well, but the song is still perfect. The lyrics are so disturbing yet intriguing ("Isn't it strange to create something that hates you?" "I AM DEATH AND I AM NOT ALONE!!!!"). "The Drain" features Health and Swarm. The cyber sound of Health lets Noah flow through fittingly. Dark disco metal???? Sure seems like it!

Turning things around with rapping is "Terms & Conditions", led through by Bob Vylan (anyone here almost misread his name as Bob Dylan?), "Who they killing, when they making a killing". The production is quite clear, though the track doesn't really stand out well when it's just industrial hip-hop. Wargasm strikes on in "Heondist [Recharged]", packed with synths as heavy as the guitars. I've already heard of Wargasm via their remixes with Enter Shikari and Crossfaith. Milkie Way's vocals are more hyper than a sugar-buzzed cheerleader, and that's what I like there! Then we have a synthpop-ballad-ish track in "Even". Interlude "Loading Screen" is definitely what you would expect from an old-school PlayStation loading screen.

Really peaking at the height of the album is "Anything > Human", a collaboration with ERRA. The guest appearances by that progressive metalcore band's two vocalists shine as beautiful as Noah's vocals. An absolute favorite of mine that should be heard by future generations! We then have the long instrumental "Digital Footprint" that can once again be the music for a video game's loading screen. Still it doesn't harm the album's quality so much. Finally, iRis.EXE lends her vocal beauty to "Nervous System" with some of the strongest lyrics to go with a steady beat, "You want to hurt me?"

Again, the remixes and live performances are a separate thing from the main album, so I don't plan on going into that. Even then, Concrete Jungle is quite strange while worth having your heart and mind embrace its material. The guests are well-chosen without a doubt. Poppy, Health, Wargasm, ERRA, iRis.EXE... How can they not be liked? If the Death of Peace and Mind era really ends with this album, it's a pretty solid ending. Though the long-time fans may be uncertain of the band's possible future direction....

Favorites: "V.A.N", "The Drain", "Heondist [Recharged]", "Anything > Human", "Nervous System"