REVIEW: Of Virtue Offers Solid Melodies And Breakdowns With ‘Omen’

Michigan natives Of Virtue have dropped their long-awaited fifth album entitled, ‘Omen’. This marks their first full-length since 2019’s ‘What Defines You’. The record explores mental health, addiction, and similar topics backed up by wild melodies and pretty decent breakdowns. And what you’ll come to find is there’s more to this record than what you’d expect, and that was definitely a surprise for me. 

The record starts off with the title track, with a pretty chunky guitar riff delivered by guitarist Mike Valdez to set the tone for the album. The verses have a vibe that of someone like Wage War with how ominous and build-up it feels, and the chorus has some Volumes vibes to them too…which won’t be the last time that comes up. The breakdown is pretty decent, but there’s others to come that seem to impress more in retrospect. The next track, “Hypocrite”, begins with a very nu-metal intro and riff which I’m always for. One thing I’ve noticed here is how much vocalist Tyler Ennis‘ screams feel very straightforward but have a good amount of range. The chorus for this one feels very reminiscent to someone like Motionless in White and how they do their choruses, which is cool. The breakdown going into the last chorus also feels decently smooth as well. We jump to the third track with a more mainstream rock kind of sound in “Cold Blooded”. I know this sound has been done a thousand times, but it’s pretty standout here as the delivery of the lyrics during the verses stick out in a good way. The next track, “Cut Me Open” delivers what feels like industrial metal mixed with poppy elements. I would even compare a sound like to someone like Bad Omens in terms of balancing metalcore with pop elements pretty well. What I’d call a “highway breakdown” going into a nasty breakdown right after is something I’m a sucker for too, so they deliver that pretty well. We then jump to “Sober”, which I would say is one of the standouts on this record. It’s comprised of poppy verses with a massive chorus, and the melodies all around are pretty great here. Vocalists Tyler and Damon Tate are putting in some work here and it’s paying off well. The vibes on this feel very influenced by someone like I Prevail on the better end of their discography. I also think the guitar solo fits pretty well in a song like this one. We close out the first half of this album with “A.N.X.I.E.T.Y.”, and it doesn’t waste any time to get straight into the heavy. I’d consider this one a highlight off the record as well, seeing as the verses are pretty fun and bouncy. The chorus follows that vibe as well and it makes this track one of the more memorable ones. The outro could’ve used a nasty ass breakdown though, but still solid nonetheless. 

The second half of the record starts with “Floating”, featuring Rory Rodriguez of Dayseeker. The orchestra kind of intro to a hard rock/metal song can be overdone as well, but it’s a nice touch here. The chorus could’ve used a little more pizzazz to it, but I still feel it’s solid though. And Rory‘s feature, good lord…there’s a reason he’s one of the best frontmen that’s ever graced this scene. We follow this track with “True Colors”, and it instantly gives off Kingdom of Giants vibes. The chorus is an awesome and another memorable one from this whole album, and the way the track overall flows is pretty neat. And the breakdown continues to deliver on a pretty solid scale. A song like this is an example of carrying the rest of the record on its back. We continue on with “Sinner”, which also has a pretty good flow to it. The verses feel very pop-influenced, and the bridge is a real solid one too. It’s wild how two tracks in a row have such Kingdom of Giants vibes, they should really tour together I feel like. We’re followed up with “Holy”, which might just be the best track on this entire record for me. The Volumes vibes are so strong on this one, especially during that juggernaut of a chorus. I’m always a sucker for this kind of song that leans towards the melodies, Tyler and Damon once again delivering here. We’ve reached the penultimate track with “Cannibals”, and the hard-rock energy lives on here as well. The back and forth vocals here have such a vibe to it that feels so reminiscent of the last band I mentioned, very much so. The verses are pretty solid here as well, and the breakdown feels influenced by Wage War once again. The drummer, Ryan Trinh, really shines on this one the most I feel like. The record closes with “False Idol”, and the video game sounding intro going into riff central is something that stuck out to me. The chorus to this one feels very specific to it being the closing track and that’s pretty cool. It also has another guitar solo that fits within the song’s overall vibe, so hats off to you Of Virtue. The breakdown is okay, it should have been a bigger one with it being the last song to really end things on a high note.

So in conclusion, ‘Omen’ by Of Virtue is a pretty solid metalcore record overall that delivers some great vocals, melodies, and different vibes throughout. The record starts off a bit steady, but it picks up to a good amount when it comes to the quality of the record. This band really wears their influences on their sleeve, and it shows throughout the entire album. If you’re a fan of bands like Bad Omens, I Prevail, or Wage War…this is absolutely the album and band for you to jam out to. 

Check out the video for “Sober” below.