Bad Omens and The Death of Peace of Mind

Hello friends and welcome to my quick online analysis of the extremely successful band, Bad Omens.

If you're new here, welcome to my little internet corner where I like to talk about some of my favourite topics such as anime, music, movies, books and sometimes (trust me, I try not to), my life.

Today's topic is the American metalcore band from Richmond, Virginia - Bad Omens - formed in 2015 by Noah Sebastian (frontman), Vincent Riquier (bassist) and Nicholas Ruffilo (guitarist). 

The band was later joined by Nick Folio (drummer) and guitarist Joakim "Jolly" (and for some Portuguese fans during a concert in Italy, "#goodmorningjolly") Karlsson. Excuse my joke, but this one is for my Portuguese friends.

 

                                                                               The Death of Peace Of Mind, 2022
                                                 Oswaldo Cepeda - author of the photo and creator of the album cover

We can start by saying that "The Death of Peace of Mind" presents itself as something fresh and a departure from their previous works. Throughout the album there are as many emotions as there are musical styles. In a blend of looming fear, unmovable stasis, confusion and lingering loneliness, this beautiful piece is crafted well enough to transform the somewhat aggressive and almost vengeful tone of the album into a sense of peaceful hope when we reach the final track.

Every song seems to perfectly fit one after the other as if the whole album worked as one single structural play with its different acts. The themes vary, but as every major work of art, it dwells on love as love can be perceived and dealt with in a digital era. Technologically overdeveloped, greedy, and a desperate decaying society in its many different shapes and forms, with emphasis in everyday subjects like relationships, money, a failed love affair, internal struggle, etc,...

We can definitely see how TDOPOM evolved from their predecessors, particularly in the way Noah (lead singer) chose to work on his vocals for this opus. As opposed to their self titled debut album which had a more gritty and overall raw sound, (not meant as a bad thing) in this one we are presented with heavy and dense lyrics sung in a both aggressive and heartfelt way, amidst some great heavenly written vocal lines and instrumental parts.

The cover of the album reflects the heavy mental struggle we live in today's society, starting with the colour red, being a mix of anger and love, perfectly aligning with a possible failed love affair.

The nudity of the person presented on the cover, on the other hand, represents the physical and psychological emptiness, caused by episodes of loneliness and lack of identity on a personal level. The cover concept is to represent the psychological weight in a visual way, telling us the story of a mentally troubled individual in agony, which was perfectly achieved.



Bad Omen's previous works:

 

Bad Omen's first album: Self-titled, released in 2016 by Sumerian Records.

It's quite haunting and melancholic. 

Glass Houses, The Worst In Me, F E R A L, Broken Youth, Exit Wounds and Crawl are my favourite songs.

Bad Omen's second album: "Finding God Before God Finds Me", released in 2019 by Sumerian Records.
 
This album, to me, it's an awakening to the true question of whether God exists or not.

Kingdom of Cards, Careful What You Wish For, The Hell I Overcame, Dethrone, Said and Done and Mercy are my favourite songs. 

Honourable mentions:  

    Bad Omens Live, 2021

 
 
 
Novocaine "serves as a timeless tribute to the friendship and artistic bond” shared by the frontman and Too Close To Touch’s late singer Keaton Pierce. - Read the full article on Kerrang! 
 

Now it's your turn to tell me: do you enjoy listening to Bad Omens? 

What's your favourite song / album?  

Thank you for taking the time to read my brief analysis on The death Of Peace of Mind, I hope you enjoy.

I hope to see you on my next post.

Have a nice one,

Adriana.

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