Jake Oni dropped one of the surprise hidden gems of last year with Loathing Light, under his Oni moniker. It was an album that I enjoyed, while also addressing that it did seem to have a bit of an identity crisis. Oni is back with a follow up already in the form of The Silver Line and what a follow up it is.
Once again enlisting a series of heavy hitters. The Silver Line feels more cohesive, well structured and a lot more fun than Loathing Light. As the old saying goes this one is all killer, no filler. Featuring an eclectic rogues gallery of vocal talent, this is a much more refined album with tighter songwriting, bigger production and it makes full use of every guest at its disposal. Whether it’s Kellin Quinn on the strikingly upbeat Underneath my Skin, Youtube sensation Jared Dines on the full throttle djent assault of Silence In A Room of Lies, there is something here to pique every type of metal fans interest.
Justin Hill from British legends Sikth makes a rare cameo appearance and the gut twistingly heavy The Dread. Howard Jones teams with Spiritbox Bassist Josh Gilbert for Aura, one of the albums stand out moments, its hugely anthemic and has a degree of bounce to it that would make a trampoline warehouse feel self conscious.
The great thing about Jake Oni and this eponymous project is he writes to the guests allowing the songs to accentuate the individual vocalists strengths, creating magic in the process. Not that he is a slouch when it comes to the guestless material, as Silhouette, Cyanide and Burns My Soul are all quality songs in their own right. I realise part of the appeal of the project is a the guests, but I’d be keen to hear more unfiltered Oni in the future.
Overall The Silver Line is another fun and enjoyable realise from Oni that improves upon the previous one and gives us a big old slice of solid foot to the floor metal that doesn’t take itself seriously and will put a big grin on your face, and you can’t really ask for more than that.
The Silver Line is out on October 13th via Ironshore Records
