I’ve been a huge metalhead for over ten years now. In that time, my taste in music has been ever-evolving to include new genres and styles that, back then, I normally would have turned my nose up at. I’m happy to say that sub-genres like stoner, doom, and most importantly, death metal, genres that I would’ve smiled and nodded appreciatively at when I was in high school, are now among those that I get most excited about listening to when it comes to new releases.
While I’ve been listening to metal since 2010, I’ve been obsessed with Godzilla for a lot longer than that. So, in 2018, when a little band by the name of Oxygen Destroyer started making waves in the kaiju community with their debut album, Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death, I knew I had to sit down and pay attention. And boy, did it pay off: they’re more or less the reason I like death metal as much as I do now.
Since the release of that first record, Oxygen Destroyer have committed to not falling into the mire of stagnancy. They very easily could’ve continued making the same exact music as they did on Bestial Manifestations, and both the kaiju and metal communities likely wouldn’t have batted an eye. With each subsequent release, however, the band has pushed their sound to evolve just enough that it still sounds fresh and new. This was actually my favorite aspect of their second record, Sinister Monstrosities Spawned by the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind.
This now brings us to their third and newest record.
Where do you go? After doing one album solely inspired by Godzilla films, another that delves into monster films outside of Japan (The Giant Claw, Gorgo), where do you go from here? What undiscovered country is there left to conquer for a band such as this? Why, the Friend to All Children, of course! Or, perhaps more accurately, the Guardian of the Universe.
Yes, the third album from Oxygen Destroyer, released on Redefining Darkness Records and titled after the turtle monster himself, Guardian of the Universe is all about Gamera. Even more, it actually functions as a concept album, retelling the story of Shusuke Kaneko’s seminal Gamera trilogy from the point of view of various characters across those films, including the kaiju themselves! The album opens with the title track “Guardian of the Universe (The Final Hope),” setting the stage for Gamera’s role as humanity’s protector. It’s our introductory track; much like how the characters in the film Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe have to learn that Gamera is there to defend them, we, the listeners, also now need to understand this, thanks in no small part to the refrain here: “When the Earth lies shrouded in eternal darkness/And the extinction of humanity draws near/The Guardian of the Universe will rise above/To vanquish the bringers of destruction and fear.”
One of the strongest songs on the album (and clearly the band thought so, too; it was the first track they released), is “Shadow of Evil.” Told from the perspective of the Gyaos hordes in the first film, we’re treated to some truly gruesome imagery through Lord Kaiju’s lyrics:
The inhabitants of Earth have but only one destiny
To liquify within the putrescent depths of our bowels.
This has long been one of Oxygen Destroyer’s strengths, making what many outside the fandom might view as cheesy and childish seem like the coolest thing you can imagine. And not to sound too cheesy myself, but really, that’s just the power of heavy metal. It’s one of the things fans of the movies can even better appreciate about the band. We already know how cool these movies are; putting them through a death metal lens just makes it all the more enjoyable. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been itching to give the trilogy a rewatch after listening to the album a few times.
There are two songs on the album that adapt Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, and both are some of the heaviest tracks on the album (and on an album like this, that’s saying something!). “Thy Name Is Legion” is told from the perspective of the titular insectoid kaiju and delves further into the creatures’ plan for terraforming the earth. Once again, the band’s lyrics drive home even more than the film just how catastrophic this would be. Thankfully, “Eradicating the Symbiotic Hive Mind Entity from Beyond the Void” picks up with Gamera’s point of view as he… well, it’s right there in the title.
It’s at this point in the album that I started to realize exactly what Oxygen Destroyer had done to push the envelope on this release. Aside from the production (which is crystal clear, it’s the best they’ve ever sounded), the band also leaned a little back from death metal, injecting just a bit more thrash into their sound. Not enough to make the music any less pummeling, of course, but certainly enough to make my ears perk up and go, “Oh!” Because the music IS indeed pummeling, thanks in no small part to drummer Chris Craven who is constantly giving it his all on the album to keep up the absolutely blistering tempo. Oxygen Destroyer isn’t usually one to slow down all that much, and this album is no exception (although the mid-tempo chuggy intro of “Exterminating the Ravenous Horde of Perpetual Darkness and Annihilation” is sure to make anyone’s head nod along).
The last chunk of the album adapts what many consider to be the cream of the crop when it comes to kaiju films, Gamera 3: Revenge of Irys. And much like how that film is extremely well-regarded, these songs are no different. The coolest thing about these songs here is Lord Kaiju’s vocal performance. Up until this point in the record, he’s sung in his usual high-pitched, famously Gyaos-inspired screech. Here though, when the narration switched to Irys’ point of view, his performance shifts down into the more guttural growl that you might expect from Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt. This is especially evident on the track “Banishing the Iris of Sempiternal Tenebrosity,” where he switches between the two vocal styles while also switching between the points of view of each monster. It’s a truly inspired creative choice that just goes to show that Oxygen Destroyer are anything but a one trick pony.
I had a number of death metal records in the running for my top ten albums of the year in 2023. While 2024 hasn’t had nearly as many make it on the shortlist, Guardian of the Universe absolutely is in the running currently. And while it might sound like I’m biased (okay, yes, I am, the kaiju/death metal combination has too great a hold on me), I do think this is Oxygen Destroyer’s best release to date. It’s easier to say that on a sophomore release (as I did back in 2021) when there’s only two albums to choose from. Once a band continues to put out excellent music, it gets more and more difficult to choose which exactly is their strongest effort. I feel confident in saying that, as of now, this is Oxygen Destroyer’s best effort. It’s certainly their most well-rounded release; it feels like the whole package, like this is the album that Lord Kaiju and co. have been striving to make since forming back in 2014. I honestly don’t see how the band could possibly top this one. I can’t wait to see them try.
Maybe a concept album based on Godzilla Final Wars…?
