Back in 2007, Born of Osiris disrupted the landscape of heavy music with their debut The New Reign, completely distorting the predictable patterns that a lot of deathcore/metalcore bands noticeably settled into at the time. By approaching their songwriting from a more abstract angle and through their chaotic, hyperactive tendencies, Born of Osiris stimulated new ideas and enabled a lot of outside-the-box thinking in terms of how the aforementioned styles could be expressed.
Utilizing a kaleidoscope of influences to shape their discography thereafter, Born of Osiris has continued to expand the scope of their deathcore disposition through the use of atmospheric textures, ambient interludes, hip-hop rhythms, and electronic flourishes. Musical elements that not only decorate their sound, but glue it all together, creating a sonic identity that has always been unmistakably their own.
Nearly 20 years after their debut, and now in the midst of releasing their latest album, Through Shadows, the band continues to explore and experiment, effectively showcasing how they’ve developed their own structure over the years.
Despite major lineup changes – including the 2024 departure of longtime keyboardist/vocalist Joe Buras and the recent departure of guitarist Lee McKinney – drummer and songwriter Cameron Losch remains optimistic about the band’s future. Losch’s forward-thinking and constant drive to innovate the band’s sound has been a key factor to Born of Osiris’ sustainability.
“I’m ready to continue writing more music,” states Losch. “The process leading up to Through Shadows’ release date took a very long time with major lineup changes, life getting in the way, and all sorts of other curveballs that were thrown towards us.”
Losch’s writing style can be characterized by high levels of hyperactivity and frequent switchups, blending diverse musical styles together in the process. However, as other writers within the band have contributed over the years, a sense of cohesion has taken shape, more noticeably on prior album Angel or Alien, as well as on the latest.
“On Through Shadows, we definitely have stuff that sounds more like a structured version of Born of Osiris’ sound, there are also some songs sprinkled in that are very much unpredictable – just a lot of fun riffs,” explains Losch. “We always like to go back to our roots a little bit and just have fun, no choruses in mind, no verses, just ADHD riffs – that’s the style of writing that I personally really have fun with…maybe because I have ADHD myself.”
He continues, “I’d rather approach writing our material with the same curiosity that I wrote The New Reign with, where it wasn’t trying to be anything specific, just what came first to mind and what I recorded. Just writing stuff that sounds awesome and unique to us, hitting the record button, keeping takes and the riffs we like – that’s the approach that intrigues me most.”
“One of my favorite newer songs is ‘Inverno’ – it’s really fun, it’s got bouncy riffs, it has thrashy riffs. At some points it almost sounds like a Home Alone soundtrack…Nick (Rossi) calls the riffs that I write Home Alone-core, so it’s like Christmasy metal, if that makes sense. It’s just a lot of fun and an adventure with a lot of twists and turns.”
Highlighting guitarist Nick Rossi’s writing contributions and the chemistry they’ve been able to develop over more recent years, Losch appreciates the interplay between his unpredictable style and Rossi’s “refreshing” writing approach.
“Nick is such a fresh spark for the band, and approaches writing in ways I wouldn’t even think about. He’s great with synths and writing riffs, and combines a nice mix of our earlier sound with the more modern, maybe, structured Born Of Osiris sound that people will hear on the new record.”
Losch adds, “It’s nice to have a friend who makes you feel invigorated in the creative process again and excited about the whole thing, he (Nick) brings a fresh energy to everything whether it be stage performance, composition, in the studio, and just general vibes.”
With the band’s vocal lineup reduced, Ronnie Canizaro took on full vocal duties, incorporating a lot of clean singing for his first time. Losch mentions “Ronnie really stepped up,” as this was a somewhat newer undertaking for the vocalist. Through Shadows features significant singing while also being one of the band’s heaviest, creating an interesting dynamic. Additionally, the album’s artwork marks a complete departure from the band’s previous album covers.
“We wanted to turn heads,” states Losch. “Upon first glance, whether you can appreciate it or not, it’s something different for us, which is what we wanted.”
“The shadowy figure on the cover, he looks like he’s about to go on a drug deal, he looks like he might be up to no good,” jokes Losch. “He’s experiencing dark times, he’s in a rut, and maybe he’s making bad decisions. The cover depicts him and his shadows, but if you open up the album, there’s a very bright sunrise in the distance – that’s the light, and he’s walking towards it. So the art is just very representative of the title.”
All jokes aside, Losch explains that the title Through Shadows is taken from a lyric from the self-titled track. “The full sentence is: ‘through shadow, light remains,’ which is a powerful phrase for us…It’s just another way of saying that there’s always hope, no matter what.”
Considering the substantial amount of touring Born of Osiris has been able to keep up with amidst major lineup changes, Losch shares, “On the live front, I do think we’re firing on all cylinders right now. Seeing how everybody in the band right now cares about the live performance, it gets me really excited to play.”
He continues, “I think one of the most beautiful things is going from the self-doubt phase of being alone, writing a song, recording it, and you don’t know how people will react. Then playing it live and seeing the crowd light up and singing the words and going crazy, and to me, that’s what it’s all about. You can move past your self-doubt when you see the people in the audience and their reactions and all the smiles. It really makes all the worrying and all the work worth it, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Through Shadows is out now, and you can order it through Sumerian Records. Follow Born of Osiris on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Rita Mota
