There are so many things to like about this terrific Prog Metal band from San Antonio, Texas. 1. Their chops are as formidable as just about any band of their genre, which is saying a lot when it comes to the ambitions of progressive metal. 2. There's a decent amount of flamenco-style guitar in the mix, which, while not completely unique, is pretty unusual, and, although I'm a layperson when it comes to flamenco music, band leader/guitarist David Gallegos sounds pretty legit to me. 3. Vocalist Chris Salinas is pretty much a dead ringer for one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time, Queensrÿche's brilliant Geoff Tate. 4. The drumming is so note-y and varied, both of their two albums (especially the first) sound like a percussion solo work with band accompaniment. I mean it's completely unique, impressive and bizarre drumming. 5. Everyone likes the underdog right? How many other predominantly Latino progressive metal bands do you know? None, right? Plus, they released on tiny labels Elevate and Metal Ages, and they hail from the musical Mecca of San Antone.
I came across Power of Omens just after the release of their second album, Rooms of Anguish, in 2003 thanks, I think, to the late great website mp3.com. At that time, I think they had about six or seven songs available for download between the two albums, and I remember being blown away by progressive masterpieces "Word on a Line", "My Best to Be", "A Toast to Mankind", "With These Words" and the on of my favorite metal epics of all time, "Test of Wills". I immediately bought the album and scoured the internet trying to find a copy of the debut, Eyes of the Oracle. It was tough to find; I even sent an email to David who basically told me "good luck". I eventually found a copy on Ebay for less than $40 and snatched it up. Unfortunately, they split up a couple years later, but at least they left behind two classics of the genre and some of the most complex, densely orchestrated melodic metal I've ever heard. Here's the studio version of "A Toast to Mankind" which illustrates some of the unique characteristics I mentioned above, followed by some terrific footage of the band playing that terrific epic, "Test of Wills" live at a bar in San Antonio, which is almost comical due to the juxtaposition of the proficiency of the musicians, the complexity of the music and the dramatic presentation against the ordinary, everyday setting.