Rheia (album)


Rheia is the third studio album by Belgian band Oathbreaker. The album was produced by Jack Shirley and released through independent record label Deathwish Inc. on September 30, 2016. Oathbreaker toured internationally in support of Rheia from September until December with Skeletonwitch and Iron Reagan. The title references Rhea, mother to the six principal Olympians in Greek mythology.

Reception

Rheia was well received by music critics upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Exclaim!s Natalie Zina Walschots thought that the band has released "a vast and complex record that doesn't just react toward but actively embraces the aesthetics of doom and sludge." Andy O'Conor of Pitchfork said of the album: "While still fairly beholden to black metal, Rheia shares a core ideal with Cobalt's Slow Forever and Deafheaven's New Bermuda: They broke out of black metal's stylistic confines, using it as a launching pad more than a set of totalitarian marching orders, and in the process became emotive, powerful metal albums." PopMatters critic Chris Conaton described the record as "wonderful in terms of contrasting black metal fury with quieter moments," but thought that the songwriting lags behind the atmosphere." Sputnikmusic staff critic Tristan Jones described the album as "a swan song," writing that the record "demonstrates the band’s evident progress instrumentally and vocally and Shirley’s influence takes them to new heights, and chasmic lows."

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeRank
TrebleUSThe Top 50 Albums of 201650
Consequence of SoundUSThe Top 10 Metal Albums of 20169
TerrorizerUKAlbums Of The Year 20163
NoiseyUSThe 100 Best Albums of 201620

Track listing

All music and lyrics written by Oathbreaker.
  1. "10:56" – 2:11
  2. "Second Son of R." – 5:55
  3. "Being Able to Feel Nothing" – 7:08
  4. "Stay Here / Accroche-Moi" – 5:12
  5. "Needles in Your Skin" – 7:14
  6. "Immortals" – 8:52
  7. "I'm Sorry, This Is" – 4:14
  8. "Where I Live" – 7:01
  9. "Where I Leave" – 8:52
  10. "Begeerte" – 6:43

    Personnel

Rheia personnel adapted from CD liner notes.

Oathbreaker