Progressive metalcore project ONI, have today revealed another colossal new track, “Secrets”, featuring guest vocals from punk icon Iggy Pop and Lamb of God frontman, Randy Blythe. The single, along with previously released songs, “The Lie” and “War Ender”, featuring NYC trap metal squad, City Morgue, are taken from the band’s forthcoming second album, “Loathing Light”, which is set to land on June 17th, 2022, via Ironshore Records.
Jake had initially invited Randy Blythe to bring his vocal skills to “Secrets” and as the song came together, the idea of a second guest voice to add another dimension to the track was discussed. “Iggy’s vocals are so iconic and instantly recognizable, his style is what we were after. But we figured, let’s see if we can get the man himself to check it out?” They did, and the Stooges legendary leader and ‘Godfather of Punk’ loved the track. Jake continues, “He came down, we had some food and just chilled. And then he did his thing all over the song. He asked me for ideas about how to approach it, which was just crazy and cool. It all worked so well and came out sick”.
Fellow guest, Lamb of God’s vocalist Randy Blythe tells us: “It was awesome to work with Jake again, and of course the usual suspects, my compatriots Mark Morton and Josh Wilbur – always a good time. But to be on a track and film a video with one of my biggest influences as frontman, the OG godfather of punk and living legend Iggy Pop? Completely priceless”.
Check out the official video, also featuring Blythe and Iggy Pop, below.
With “Loathing Light”, ONI have delivered a body of work that boasts an even bigger sound than their debut. The collection arrives with conviction, passion and depth, swaying wildly back and forth between vast, uplifting anthems and dark, raw confessions. It will go down as a mission statement for the young band, created by singer/lyricist Jake Oni, together with his closest allies, producer Josh Wilbur (Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold, Gojira) and Lamb Of God guitarist, Mark Morton.
Jake explains: “The songs are very much written from the first person, with a lot of ‘I’ and ‘me’ in the lyrics as opposed to ‘us’ or ‘you. The music encompasses many different vibes, both light and dark. I really challenged myself to address difficult things I’ve gone through over the years”.
The result is 10 tracks spanning an emotional gamut, from all-out brutality to introspective desperation. Songs like “Against My Sins” and “Heart to Stone” wouldn’t sound totally out of place in a playlist alongside Of Mice & Men or Linkin Park. Yet the bludgeoning technicality – which earned ONI fans while touring with technical heavyweights Gojira – remains, making “Loathing Light” a diverse and definitive album.
“Mark [Morton] helped me through a lot of stuff with mental health and addiction, things he’s gone through himself”, Jake says. “He’s definitely been a big support for me. I worked with him before with a full band, but this time, it was just he and I, writing an entire album together, which was killer. I don’t want anyone in there besides Mark and Josh when I’m recording vocals. They get what I can do. They know my limitations and how to utilize my talents like nobody else really can fully”.
Jake and Mark had previously collaborated on Morton’s debut solo album, “Anesthetic”, with Jake executive producing and co-writing the collection’s #6 Active Rock radio hit, “Cross Off” with Morton, Wilbur and the late Chester Bennington.
“Music is such a gift”, Jake says thoughtfully. “If you can make music, and people respond to it? I’ve learned not to take that for granted. Count your blessings because the opportunity to make music is such a great one. We should always be grateful. Because it’s the coolest job anyone could do”.
Pre-order & pre-save “Loathing Light” here.
Tracklist:
1. The Lie
2. Against My Sins
3. Secrets (feat. Randy Blythe & Iggy Pop)
4. Awaken
5. War Ender (feat. City Morgue)
6. Heart to Stone
7. Battery Tomb
8. Sequence Static
9. Gasoline
10. Golden
In modern times, the demonic ONI figure of Japanese Folklore transformed into a personification of protection, often adorning rooftops or leading festive parades to ward off evil. In this same spirit, the crushing aggressive music of ONI, the band, acts as an empowering weapon. ONI casts out the cruel demons of self-hatred, addiction, and whatever destructive obstacles one might face.
The band Metal Injection described as “key figures in paving the way for a new wave of progressive metalcore”, is led by frontman Jake Oni, who summons cathartic anthems from personal pain. In 2014, Jake first conceived of ONI as “the band I never got to see”, recruiting different players with technical skills to make music that shook the foundations of the scene. Comparisons to genre heavyweights like Meshuggah, Between The Buried And Me, and Protest The Hero came swiftly.
ONI released “Ironshore” on Metal Blade Records in 2016, heralded by No Clean Singing as “maybe the most impressive debut I’ve heard this year”. Songs like “The Only Cure”, “Barn Burner”, and “Eternal Recurrence” whipped audiences into a frenzy as ONI traveled the globe. The band shared club and festival stages with Gojira, Turnstile, Code Orange, and Rob Zombie, among others.
ONI’s 2019 single “Alone” racked up over 1.3M spins on Spotify alone.
