May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way

Taking its name from a sweatshirt slogan spotted in a Chinese airport, Omnium Gatherum’s 10th full-length is a loose concept album based on what the Finnish melodic death metal band is calling “stories from the streets”. Musically, founding guitarist and principal songwriter Markus Vanhala sought to create a collection of songs that captures every era of the long-running band while honing their balance of heaviness and melody. The bubbling electronic textures and soaring guitars of the instrumental title track set the stage for surging single “The Last Hero”, which details the path of destruction left by someone on a personal crusade. The driving riffs of “The Darkest City” are meant to reflect the chaos of an urban landscape, while “Walking Ghost Phase” delves into the throes of addiction.