Album Review: Ohm Bhandari - Dimension: Space Paracosm

Ohm Bhandari's most recent EP is now finally available for streaming, giving me an excuse to review something I truly should have back when it was released. Anyway, here is a review of one of the best mini-albums this year. It continues its storyline from last year's Expedition, so you definitely could check that out first if you wanted to.

Reignite

Basing its chord progression on Martin Garrix's Let You Go, a progressive house song, Reignite is a strong introduction to the album (much of the album takes influence from Martin Garrix-esque electronic music). The electronic percussion here is especially strong. I am not sure which drum packs were used in the writing of this song, but they really make the opening verse shine. After a fantastic build, the song does fizzle out a little bit, feeling a little more like a car chase than an interstellar hyperdrive race, with the slightly distracting "level" vocal lines. I love the additional synth line doubling in the second half of the song, turning this track into a club banger worth adding to your playlist.

Rating: 8.5/10

Mayhem

This might be a slightly obscure reference, but Mayhem sounds like a fast, aggressive song from the 2010s Kirby video game soundtracks. I love the hard-hitting psytrance elements. The song instantly picks up pace, and never slows down. This hyper blend instantly feels like a race out of a portal from a high-octane sci-fi movie, which was almost certainly Ohm's intention. After a slightly slow middle eight, we come roaring back to life with the refrain for one incredible finale, which rushes at nearly thrasher metal levels of aggression and speed.

Rating: 9/10

Discovery

After the extreme adrenaline rush of Mayhem, Discovery brings us back to a slower, more progressive house-inspired, soundscape. The central chorus here is fantastic, with a booming bass providing exactly what Reignite was missing. The build to the chorus is also extremely satisfying, with the melodic touchstones of growth required for this form of songcraft. While not mentioned as an inspiration, the melody here is reminiscent of w-inds' Strip from last year, especially within the context of the chorus. The song forms its own unique identity, however, with its speeding ambition.

Rating: 8.5/10

Galaxy

The lead single from this EP, Galaxy opens with the melodic loop of Discovery, before exploding into a hypersonic adventure driven by aggressive bass and smooth synths. Galaxy is one of the fastest songs in the album, ripping aggressively through the stars and the spheres. It took a while to grow on me, but Galaxy is one of the album's best songs, even if the dubstep breakdown does not work perfectly. Also, the climax is fire.

Rating: 8.75/10

Catharsis

Despite its roaring tempo of 165, Catharsis feels like the slowest song on the album. In many ways, it is more of a spacewalk than a space race. This leads to some of the album's most detailed and constructive composition and production. Unfortunately, Catharsis never really finds a melody that is well... cathartic, making it a little less memorable than possible.

Rating: 8/10

Reminiscence

With the final track Reminiscence, Dimension comes surging back to life. The production here is lush and immaculate, with each and every synthesized beat playing off the other one perfectly. The sense of flow here is also one of the clearest in the entire album. A Euphoria-esque finale would send this song into the stratosphere, but on its own, it serves as a nostalgic reminder of the EDM glory days.

Rating: 8.75/10

Cumulative Rating: 8.6/10

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Bhandari is one of the most exciting EDM producers at the moment, and Dimension extends his streak of song albums. While I still prefer Expedition, Dimension is more instant. It will be interesting to see it a year away, but for now, Dimension is one of the best EPs this year.