When it comes to heavy, there is truly no band quite like Darko US. Their self-titled last year was groundbreaking and sonically insane, and to know that they just dropped another album this year and still somehow have another album coming up is wild to me. The speed at which they make awesome metalcore/deathcore songs is hard to comprehend, and Oni is no exception.
Oni came with four singles, most of which I kind of skimmed over when it came out. I think my ears weren't geared for it at the time because I couldn't really get into it, and the only one I moderately enjoyed was Dragon Chaser because I found the electronic dissonance in that song interesting. I have to say though, my opinion on all of them changed drastically after listening to them with fresh ears and in the context of the album (except for Acid Inject, that one is still kinda meh).
There is a noticeable but hard to describe change in sound from Darko to Oni. I can't really place it exactly, but there's something seemingly more refined about this album that the previous album didn't have as much. Oni is a lot more fun and expressive, there's a lot more interesting moments now that they've managed to define their sound with their previous album. They're not afraid to go crazier with their sound design and break some sonic limits, but they also explored the softer territory in this record and I actually love it immensely.
Let's get heavy out of the way first, the songs with vocal features are absolutely insane. Hyper Kill is super bouncy and rhythmic, and if I'm being honest I still have no idea which parts are Ryo's. Rosaria's Fingers is full of rage and I love Kyle's feature, I think he introduces a vocal texture that contrasts quite a bit from Tom's, a lot of which I'm familiar with from his stuff in Brand of Sacrifice. Evolving is the heaviest by far, but it actually has a lot of dynamicism which I enjoy. Sure, the dissonance is overkill and the lows are inhuman, but there's a lot of fun rhythms and switchups that make this track interesting from front to back. The feature is great, never heard of Shaolin G or UnityTX before but his rap-esque parts are one of the coolest sections on the record by far. Ana is also ridiculously pissed but suffers the same issue as Hyper Kill, no idea which lines are Taylor's.
Come Home is the most unique one out of the songs with features, being a soft ballad-like song featuring Dayseeker vocalist Rory Rodriguez. I disliked it at first, to be honest, not liking the juxtaposition of Tom's screams on a track meant to be sentimental. After listening to it with the album though, it clicked like the rest, and I now fully understand why people love it so much. Darko US seems to actually have quite a knack for softer songs, as Infinite Beauty and Oni actually are really good songs. I love how they cut up the heavy songs on the tracklist and give the album experience breathing room, but on their own they also have really good atmosphere and sound design that makes them quite ethereal.
There are definitely a few songs that kind of don't stand out, with so much heavy blending into each other, but it's definitely a lot better compared to the previous record. The album's sonic diversity is also a lot more commendable, and makes this record feel a lot more complete. That said, I still think the self-titled did its job, it was meant to be the record that defines their sound and I think their heavy side is really still the core of their essence. Oni sees them exploring their softer side and going crazier on their heavy side, which is much more fun, but I don't want it to overshadow the foundation that the self-titled set out to achieve.
In short, Oni is a banger record. Many great tracks, many great moments. There's the heaviest of the heavy, but there's also softer stuff to mix it up, and at the core of it all, it seems the record was made with a lot of fun and intentful choices. Definitely a highlight of 2022.
Rating: 10/10
15. Redo