Review: “Don’t Stay Close To Me” by Oigres

Having spent more than two decades and nine albums musing on themes of Death, Misanthropy, Darkness and Insanity under the name Kosmos Reversum as the mastermind of Turin based Black Metal collective Lilyum, the creative urge remains in the black beating heart of Sergio Vinci. A burning desire to try something new and write using both seven and eight string guitars has found him crossing into new territories such as Doom, DJent and Extreme Metal with solo project Oigres and after an impressive debut he turns with a second burnt offering. For “Don’t Stay Close To Me” he handles all duties as a multi instrumentalist, vocalist, lyricist, engineer, mixer, masterer, producer and graphic designer while promising something both heavier and darker. While he doesn’t describe the album as a concept record, the lyrics of this one are written in the first person as if they were an internal dialogue of a mentally disturbed person who writes his feelings and thoughts in a diary. Dealing with thoughts of depression, schizophrenia, paranoia, social issues and mental distress in general, this one, on paper at least sounds like a nightmarish vision from which there is no escape…

As if taking inspiration from the world of Devin Townsend, there is the distinctive air of Strapping Young Lad about opening cut “No Life” with crushing dissonant guitars creating a sombre mood between passages of eerie spoken word passages that feel like Occult worship. A powerful statement piece with a few bright spots from the guitar work in the second half, this one has a bleak lyrical narrative and emotive vocals that make you shudder if you listen too closely. Fear Factory sized chugging riffs then tear through the ear canals with the album title track “Don’t Stay Close To Me“, the melancholic lament between skull battering moments soaked in anguish and pain. The rhythmic battery hits hard through staccato riff breaks and mechanical programmed drums but there is something raw and primitive underneath as Vinci tears at his flesh trying to release his soul in an act of trephination. As if transcending from ember to inferno the intensity of the down tuned guitars increases exponentially with “Earthquake Of Damned Souls” hitting like a concrete paving slab to the face. There are a few fleeting moments which stylistically echo “All Around The Fur” era Deftones in sonic texture but for the most part this feels like a cathartic release of energy in raw brutality. The narrative continues into “World Whore” which embraces more elements from the sphere of Alternative Metal while holding onto the threads and essence of the sound which Vinci wishes to portray. The largely dark and gloomy atmospheric is oppressive enough to convey the mood, the fleeting escapes offering curious and strange sights as we wander down the left hand path of Alice’s wonderland.

As an album “Don’t Stay Close To Me” is raw around the edges with the feel of a pre-production demo as if waiting for some studio polish. That’s by no means a bad thing because it reflects the DIY or DIE approach that Vinci has taken to burnt offering. We work with the tools we have at hand because idle hands are the devils workshop. A cut of slower tempo “I Walk Slowly” feels like it has origins in the early 90’s Geffen Records releases underneath the rubble, the foundations built upon with a Buster Odeholm inspired guitar tone of tidal wave crushing power. Another melancholic lament creeps into the final moments, offering an almost shoegazing quality and leaving you to wonder if the Scandinavian roots of past Black Metal inspirations ever leave the mind once they’ve claimed the territory as their own. Bleak and harrowing “Cold Wind” captures a swirling of battery acid nausea as it burns to be, bursts of violent turbulence threatening to surface but not quite reaching the volcanic heights that one might expect. Instead down tuned hypnosis wrapped in torment unfolds in a hellscape from which there is no release. That punishment continues with “My Shadow“, another primitive and ugly piece carved from an unhinged mind with gravelly vocals and fleeting nuance. Maintaining the flow of the record, it keeps the dark energy in perpetual forward motion without having a gut punch moment to make it really stand out from the pack. Instead the finale flirts with building to an impactful crescendo before fading to black. Sounding like it was written for the soundtrack to Brandon Lee’s “The Crow” in 1994 “For You” offers up something different. Vocal layering is used to add clean vocals to accompany the harsh ones which works surprisingly well as some of the aggression is scooped out and we’re left to mourn… [7/10]

Track Listing

1. No Life
2. Don’t Stay Close To Me
3. Earthquake Of Damned Souls
4. World Whore
5. I Walk Slowly
6. Cold Wind
7. My Shadow
8. For You

“Don’t Stay Close To Me” by Oigres is out 12th March 2025 via Broken Bones Promotion & Productions, Ghost Record Label and Crashsound Distribution.