Background of the Band
Onioroshi is a progressive-psych power trio hailing from Cervia, Italy. The three members of Onioroshi met for the first time in early 2014 during the Kimono Lights project, a dreampop-shoegaze independent band which recorded 2 LPs and an EP in three years and played in venues around Italy. In early 2018 Kimono Lights called it quits and soon after Onioroshi was formed and their debut album Beyond These Mountains was created.
While the band was trying to find its place in the music industry the pandemic struck the world of music and forced them to change their plans. In early 2020 Onioroshi started working on a new LP, investing the next three years into creating music with passion and a new sonic direction. The new LP “Shrine” is the result of this meticulous work of sound and structured research, with the three musicians searching for ways beyond limits, trying to create a completely new experience for the listener. Similar to their debut album, their second LP was recorded, mixed and mastered at Dunastudio by Andrea Scardovi.
Introduction to Onioroshi’s “Shrine”
Lasting 54 minutes while featuring 3 tracks focusing various sound layers, shifting time signatures, auditory dynamics.
Musical Style and Influences
A blend of experimental, psychedelic, noise rock and progressive riffing that creates an immersive auditory trip through the vastness of space and time. According to the band, “We like mind trips, odd times, drowning in noise and partial darkness.” Fans of desert denizens Big Scenic Nowhere will most likely enjoy this release as there are long psychedelic passages, many guitar riffs/solos with various phase, reverb and delay effects.
Track Analysis
Opening Track: “Pyramid”
Opening up with a clean flanger/phase guitar line with heavy reverb played various times with crashing cymbals with a rumbling distorted bass line. At around 4 minutes in the vocals begin with an up-tempo noise rock vibe until the vocals become more aggressive with drummer Enrico Piraccini forcing the issue with crashing cymbals and drum fills working to create a wall of sound. At 5:50 the time signature shifts to a heavy arpeggio riff and then shifting again the music stops entirely with a distorted bass line coming in with the phase effected guitar line and various tom fills and aggressive vocals to bring up the intensity again. The band really enjoys dynamics with calm slow passages building to massive and aggressive crescendos.
Opening Track: “Laborintus”
At 15 minutes this is the shortest track of the album. The track gets started right away with a treble sounding bass line with and lead guitar line with high pitched vocals leading to a phaser effect washing over the track which morphs into dark aggressive vocals and the familiar crashing cymbal fills. The vocal in this section has some similarity to Tomahawk era Mike Patton. As the track moves along the vocals become more ethereal with an underlying synth taking center stage. With this section starting around 9 minutes in the band moves in a more melodic way that give way to the outgoing section of guitar solos and driving rhythms until the track closes out.
Closing Track: “Egg”
Album closer begins with the heaviest riff of the release with a crunching guitar riff with the vocals a little more out in front and more direct than other sections during the album.
Ay 2 minutes in a wave of phaser effects and tom drum fills take center stage. Next the music starts to fade out and starts up again with a repetitive reverb heavy guitar line and haunting vocals along with distorted bass notes play in the background. At approximately the 11 minutes in the band ups the intensity with a driving drum beat and propulsive bass layered with a driving reverb heavy guitar riff. At 15 minutes in a long passage with a guitar solo takes over with drummer Piraccini using his China cymbal as a crash and beating it into submission. As this is the longest track on the album with various movement of sonic bombast, at the end you may want to take a break to ground yourself and return to sanity!
Track List
1.Pyramid-18:19
2.Laborintus-15:36
3. Egg-20:32
Manuel Fabbri: Bass, Vocals
Enrico Piraccini: Drums, Vocals
Matteo Sama: Guitar
https://onioroshi.bandcamp.com/