Review: “Knowing it Shall Wake” by Olympus

“This EP has been a long journey for us. We’ve poured a lot of time, work, and emotion into these songs, and it feels great to finally share them. We’re so beyond proud of what we’ve made, and this is only the beginning of Olympus Ex morte pulchritudo prodit” ~ Oz Hassan, drums

In deepest, darkest Essex there has long been a micro-climate which has provided fertile grounds for the growth of Metal bands and from that soil rise Melodic Death Metal quintet Olympus. For the past five years or so they have been biding their time. Waiting for the opportune moment crawl out from the shadows and strike with a desire to draw blood. That might have happened in 2023, when they released stand alone single “Emperor” while sharing stages with the likes of Draugrheim, Vast Slug and Ghosts Of Atlantis but instead they chose to continue to hone their material in the live arena… until now.

The band comment: “Revenant reflects on betrayal and the long aftermath of being broken down. It centres on someone worn down by the weight of it all, pushed through repeated hardship, shaped and changed by it. The song looks at how those experiences leave lasting scars, shaping a person as much through survival as through the damage they carry.”

Soaked in all to familiar Scandinavian Melancholia, instrumental title track “Knowing it Shall Wake” has a sombre fifty second introduction before lifting gradually as the guitars, drums and bass come into play fluidly, the tone setting piece a palate cleanser for the mind. That’s not to say that there isn’t the opportunity for vocals to accompany this one because the anticipation of them runs throughout but simply doesn’t come to fruition, the band opting for a different approach which allows “Emperor” the opportunity to shine as the brighter of two stars. A cut of colossal proportions, it has roots in the Gothenburg scene, the scalding vocals from Jason Dugal cutting a stark contrast to the vibrant melodic sonic abrasions. The sound which Olympus have forged is one that has the air of familiarity to it but is distinctly their own and it has to be said that the musicianship is impeccable. There is an almost cinematic epic grandeur to the soundscape of this one that makes it feel like it needs a grand auditorium to do it justice, the balance between the heavy and the melodic on a knife edge throughout.

The surprise with “Revenant” is that it doesn’t have any orchestral embellishments because while it doesn’t necessarily need them, the opportunity for them is very much there. Instead the quintet fill the space with stunning lead guitars and powerful rhythms, painting pictures in the minds eye as Dugal screams like a beast from the black depths. His harsh tones are without doubt the bands single heaviest element, an anvil upon which they shape their Metal. Sonically both captivating and enthralling, this one also neatly side steps the opportunity for clean vocals, the band sticking to their guns with the harsh ones which is refreshing to hear.

There is a little bit of “The End of Heartache” era Killswitch Engage style melody about “Out of Reach“, the track surpassing eight minutes with consummate ease. Acoustic guitar passages and gang chants and add depth and texture, the band not afraid of extended instrumental passages as they have style and substance within their grasp. What they’ve left us with is something so epic that it feels like a huge departure from anything you might expect a debut [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Knowing it Shall Wake
2. Emperor
3. Revenant
4. Out of Reach

“Knowing it Shall Wake” by Olympus is out 24th April 2026