Someone once told Oddzar that their set-closer "Reborn" reminded them of Russia after World War II: beat to shit, totally triumphant, and dangerous. "Our music emanates auras of frustration, angst, beauty, sadness, disgust, hope, confusion, anger and sometimes all of those things simultaneously," explains singer Russ Eckell. “And whatever the message," he continues, “it must be very, very intense.”

In their mid teens, high school friends in Columbia, Maryland formed Oddzar out of their mutual drive “to create distinct and meaningful melody,” bassist and back-up vocalist Travis Lockhart. “We felt a need to avoid musical trends such as pop-punk, emo, and rap-metal,” he continues, instead attaining inspiration from substance-over-style, off-center influences such as Tool, Radiohead, The Deftones, and Dredg. "We also went through a couple of guitarists before we found the right chemistry with Greg".

Fresh out of the studio with their first album (due out on September 14th) produced, engineered, and mixed by Drew Mazurek (Linkin Park, Nothingface, Dog Fashion Disco), Oddzar stands poised to take their message to the masses. “Working with Drew in the studio was incredible,” states Travis. “He was totally laid back and focused on bringing our ideas to light. We explored a lot of creativity.”

The finished album reflects this creative exploration. Russ translates his remarkable sheer power into an emotional delivery that always maintains a melody line, clearly distinguishing his performance from so many mere 'throaters' in today’s heavy music scene. “Travis will do some screaming for texture and to take the emotional level up a notch,” explains Russ, “but that style is like a guitar effect pedal - you can’t rely on it throughout a song.”

The lyrics dive into the dark waters of life’s pain, addressing rejection and betrayal while always chasing the unattainable lure of hope. Says the singer, "writing lyrics is where I try to step back from myself and the people around me and cope with things like juvenile jealousies, why we need so much attention, and overall how our emotions make us treat ourselves and others so badly. "El Cajon Pass" is named for a steep section of curving train tracks in California with regular wrecks," he continues, "and that's what this song is about: causing your own tragic, unavoidable disaster and watching it unfold before your eyes. There's hope at the end though; you must accept total responsibility and face the next day."

The theme of personal accountability is revisited in "Spell", which addresses "cruelly manipulating others without thinking about what you're doing. When you realize you've done it, there's this tremendous guilt," explains Russ. Hope resurfaces in "The Tide," which is "a visual song," states the frontman. "The lyrics are a metaphor for our fragile psyche moving through constant ups and downs, from hope to total desperation, making us act irrationally. The song resolves on the side of hope."

"Reborn" addresses two sides of a story, "half about hating how others can affect me with their actions (in this case, death), and half about my own attempts to cope with mortality, empathy, even pleading for a different reality," says the singer.

The songs, and the album as a whole, are very ambitious, reflecting a laborious song-writing process. “Song-writing is like pulling teeth,” says guitarist and back-up vocalist Greg Loman, “we’ll spend a month writing and finishing a song and end up scrapping it.” Each part is thoroughly plotted and complex without gratuitous repetition. Greg executes shrewd choices, emphasizing groove as well as melodic hooks and themes, creating room for Travis to dig out brutal low-end riffs as well as explore the higher reaches of his instrument. Blake is both calculated and passionate, connecting the joints of the songs and dictating dynamics with frenetic fills.

For the members of Oddzar, their music is a reluctant musical sigh and a harmonious personal release. “This is a stepping stone to the goal of enriching the world of music,” says Russ. Rather than compromise their artistic integrity or attempt to write hit songs, Oddzar is settled in for the long haul of building their fan base from the ground up via steady touring. “That’s how we want to do it,” confirms Greg, “we’re not trying to be a pop band.” “For us it’s about heavy, intense, dynamic, and melodic,” adds Travis. “Especially intense,” finishes Russ.


Oddzar

Russ Eckell - vocals
Greg Loman - guitar, back-up vocals
Blake Silvea - drums
Travis Lockhart - bass, back-up vocals