Album Review: Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens

With The Ossuary Lens, Allegaeon enters a new era by reconnecting with their past. The return of original vocalist Ezra Haynes—who departed after 2014’s Elements of the Infinite—marks a pivotal moment for the band and fans alike. It’s more than just a reunion – a recalibration of identity. Allegaeon has long occupied a unique space in melodic death metal as it is equally philosophical, punishing, and progressive. Here, they sound more unified than they have in years, and the result is an album that feels both methodical and full of heart. “Refraction” opens the album with a cinematic, tension-filled swell, a brief but effective mood-setter. “Chaos Theory” then explodes with a flurry of sharp riffing and intricate rhythms. Haynes wastes no time asserting his presence, his roar cutting clean through the chaos. As expected, the dual guitar attack of Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel is dazzling with equal parts technical and emotive. There’s precision here, playfulness and a willingness to balance shredding with memorable hooks and motifs.

“Driftwood” expands the band’s melodic side and delivers one of the record’s emotional peaks. Clean vocals— shared between Haynes, Stancel, and bassist, Brandon Michael—lend a sense of vulnerability, especially when paired with soaring lead guitars and restrained drumming. “Dies Irae,” with its title referencing the Latin hymn of judgment, carries a symphonic gravity. It’s a towering, multi-layered track that plays like a movement – not just a song, pacing itself with dynamic shifts and grandiosity. Tracks like “The Swarm” and “Carried by Delusion” are where Allegaeon leans harder into their more aggressive instincts. These riff-driven, relentlessly paced tracks highlight Jeff Saltzman’s drumming’s rhythmic tightness and muscularity. It’s a reminder that the band can throw haymakers as easily as they can construct labyrinthine arrangements. “Dark Matter Dynamics” offers an unexpected curveball: guest guitarist Adrian Bellue adds jazz-influenced acoustic passages, offering texture and contrast without disrupting the album’s momentum. It’s experimental without being indulgent — a tasteful diversion that expands the sonic palette in service of the overall atmosphere.

Dave Otero’s production is once again a significant asset. A longtime collaborator, Otero knows how to let Allegaeon’s complexity shine without muddying the waters. Every layer — from the bass runs to the multi-tracked harmonies—is distinct and clean. As the album reaches its final stretch, “Wake Circling Above” slows things down to a haunting crawl. There’s a dreamlike quality to its pacing and tone—contemplative and immersive, it acts as a calm before the final storm. That storm is “Scythe,” a nearly nine-minute closer that combines all the album’s elements: technicality, emotion, melody, and thematic ambition. It’s sprawling, heavy, and deeply satisfying. The Ossuary Lens doesn’t attempt to reinvent Allegaeon, but it showcases the band at their most refined, energized, and emotionally resonant level. It balances past and future, aggression and melody, technical flair and grounded songwriting. For longtime fans, it’s a triumph. For newcomers, it’s a compelling gateway into one of modern metal’s most innovative and consistent bands.