Oathbreaker (band)
Oathbreaker | |
---|---|
Origin | Flanders, Belgium |
Genres | |
Years active | 2008–present |
Labels | Thirty Days of Night, Holy Shit!, Deathwish Inc. |
Associated acts | Amenra, Wiegedood |
Website | theoathbreakerreigns |
Members | Lennart Bossu Gilles Demolder Caro Tanghe Wim Coppers |
Past members | Ivo Debrabandere |
Oathbreaker is a Belgian band from Flanders, formed in 2008 and currently signed to Deathwish Inc.[1] The band consists of guitarists Lennart Bossu and Gilles Demolder, drummer Wim Coppers (who replaced founding member Ivo Debrabandere in 2016), and vocalist Caro Tanghe, who performs both screamed and sung vocals. They are a part of Amenra's Church of Ra collective, alongside other bands such as The Black Heart Rebellion, Wiegedood, and DehnSora.
Following a self-titled EP, Oathbreaker have released three studio albums: Mælstrøm (2011), Eros|Anteros (2013) and Rheia (2016). The latter two albums received generally positive reviews, noted for their unique integration of different genres.
History[]
Formation and Early Years[]
Gilles and Caro were childhood friends, meeting when Caro was aged 14.[2] The duo eventually met Lennart Bossu, and formed a band which played in the Belgian Hardcore scene, performing live with bands such as Rise and Fall.[3][4] Over time, their style progressively changed, before parting ways with their drummer. In 2008, they had met Ivo Debrabandere, and evolved into what would become Oathbreaker, writing and releasing their debut EP in 2008.
Debut Album and First Tours (2008-2012)[]
Over the course of the next two years, the band had begun to gradually write what would become their debut album, Mælstrøm, coming to rehearsal with small pieces and ideas for songs, combining them together. Before the release of the album, Lennart Bossu said in an interview, "It’s the only way we know how to write songs, even though there are faster ways I’m sure." In the Fall of 2010, the and had met with Michael Neyt, and Lander Cluyse, to engineer and record, and with Kurt Ballou to mix it. Lacking a singular recording location, the album had been recorded in a mix of several studios, and bedrooms. In July 2011, the album was released on Thirty Days To Nights Records, to small critical press, with above average to rave reviews. Most reviews had come to a general agreement that the band had a strong future.[5] They then spent the latter half of 2011 into 2012 touring throughout Germany with Italian band Hierophant, as well as Northern and Eastern Europe with Rise and Fall, and The Secret. In 2012 they began their first US tour, on the east coast, before returning to Europe to begin work on their sophomore album.[6]
Musical style[]
Oathbreaker's eclectic style has been associated with various genres within the realms of punk rock,[7] heavy metal[8] and avant-garde[9] music including black metal,[7][8][10][11] post-hardcore,[7][8][9][12] hardcore punk,[7][11] post-metal,[8][12] post-black metal,[13] screamo,[10] metalcore,[7] crust punk,[7] d-beat,[14] sludge metal,[7] shoegazing,[8] and post-rock.[14] It has been compared to that of Cobalt[8] and Ghost Bath[9] as well as Deathwish Inc. labelmates Deafheaven,[8][9][14] Converge,[10] Touché Amoré,[14] Loma Prieta,[14] and Planes Mistaken for Stars.[14] Caro Tanghe's vocals have received attention as a prominent aspect of the band's sound; Exclaim noted that her "higher pitched screams rival [Converge's] Jacob Bannon's, while simultaneously being close enough to a black metal shriek, and desperate enough for screamo"[10] while Stereogum praised her singing, stating it is "often melodic, and multi-tracked, and it gives these gigantic songs greater mass and momentum, as well as humanity and maybe even vulnerability."[14] Furthermore, Metal Injection described her lyricism as "haunting and poetic, gothic and honest."[9]
Members[]
- Current
- Lennart Bossu – guitar (2008–present)
- Gilles Demolder – guitar, bass guitar (2008–present)
- Caro Tanghe – vocals[1] (2008–present)
- Wim Coppers – drums (2016–present)
- Former
- Ivo Debrabandere – drums (2008–2016)[15]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Mælstrøm (2011)[1]
- Eros|Anteros (2013)[1]
- Rheia (2016)[16]
EPs[]
- Oathbreaker (2008)[1]
- Amenra/Oathbreaker – Brethren Bound by Blood 3/3 (2011)
- An Audiotree Live Session (2016)
Singles[]
- Ease Me (2020)
Live albums[]
- Live at Vooruit (2015)
Compilations[]
- Metal Swim 2 (2019)[17]
Music videos[]
Year | Name | Director |
---|---|---|
2011 | "Origin" | |
"Glimpse Of The Unseen | Olli Bery[18] | |
2013 | "No Rest For The Weary" | Jeroen Mylle and Fabrice Parent[19][20][21] |
2016 | "10:56" / "Second Son of R." | |
"Immortals" |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Oathbreaker Archived 2016-10-07 at the Wayback Machine on Deathwish Inc.
- ^ "(((O))) INTERVIEW: CARO TANGHE AND GILLES DEMOLDER FROM OATHBREAKER". Echoes and Dust. 14 January 2017.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE Rise and Fall with Oathbreaker Interview". Blow The Scene. 19 March 2012.
- ^ "Oathbreaker Interview". Blow The Scene. 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Oathbreaker Maelstrom Review". Scene Point Blank.
- ^ "Interview with Oathbreaker: Breaking Borders". The Aquarian.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Oathbreaker: Eros|Anteros". PopMatters. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Oathbreaker: Rheia Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Album Review: OATHBREAKER Rheia - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Oathbreaker Eros/Anteros". Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Oathbreaker: Eros | Anteros". Metal Hammer. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Barry, Sean; Hadusek, Jon. "The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ Colin Kauffman (November 10, 2016). "Promises Kept: How Oathbreaker Have Raised The Bar for Post-Black Metal". Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Oathbreaker – "Immortals"". Stereogum. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
- ^ "Announcement by Ivo Debrabandere". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Rheia, by Oathbreaker". Oathbreaker. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Adult Swim releases Metal Swim 2 compilation featuring Baroness, Sunn O))), and more: Stream". 3 May 2019.
- ^ "OATHBREAKER "Glimpse Of The Unseen"".
- ^ "Oathbreaker "No Rest For The Weary" Official Video"".
- ^ "Oathbreaker "10:56" / "Second Son of R." (Official Video)".
- ^ "Oathbreaker "Immortals" (Official Video)".
- Belgian black metal musical groups
- Belgian hardcore punk groups
- Post-hardcore groups
- Post-metal musical groups
- Screamo musical groups
- Metalcore musical groups
- Crust and d-beat groups
- Sludge metal musical groups
- Avant-garde music groups
- Belgian heavy metal musical groups
- Musicians from Ghent
- 2008 establishments in Belgium
- Musical groups established in 2008
- Deathwish Inc. artists
- Musical quartets