Oathbreaker (band)

Oathbreaker is a Belgian band from Flanders, formed in 2008 and currently signed to Deathwish Inc.^[1] The band consists of guitarists Lennart Bossu and Gilles Demolder, drummer Wim Coppers, and vocalist Caro Tanghe who performs both screamed and sung vocals. They are a part of Church of Ra, an artistic collective started by Amenra, a band of which Lennart and Caro are also members. Like Amenra, Oathbreaker emerged from the Belgian underground hardcore punk scene but integrated extreme metal and art music aesthetics.

They have released three studio albums: Mælstrøm (2011), Eros|Anteros (2013) and Rheia (2016). The last two were generally well reviewed, on account of dark atmospheres, extremely intense sound, poetic lyrics, and raw emotion.

Gilles and Caro were childhood friends, meeting when Caro was aged 14.^[2] The duo eventually met Lennart Bossu, and formed a band which played in the Belgian hardcore scene, performing live with bands such as Rise and Fall.^[3][4] Over time, their style progressively changed, before parting ways with their drummer. In 2008, they had met Ivo Debrabandere, and evolved into what would become Oathbreaker, writing and releasing their debut EP in 2008.

Over the course of the next two years, the band had begun to gradually write what would become their debut album, Mælstrøm, coming to rehearsal with small pieces and ideas for songs, combining them together. Before the release of the album, Lennart Bossu said in an interview, "It’s the only way we know how to write songs, even though there are faster ways I’m sure." In the Fall of 2010, the and had met with Michael Neyt, and Lander Cluyse, to engineer and record, and with Kurt Ballou to mix it. Lacking a singular recording location, the album had been recorded in a mix of several studios, and bedrooms. In July 2011, the album was released on Thirty Days To Nights Records, to small critical press, with above average to rave reviews. Most reviews had come to a general agreement that the band had a strong future.^[5] They then spent the latter half of 2011 into 2012 touring throughout Germany with Italian band Hierophant, as well as Northern and Eastern Europe with Rise and Fall, and The Secret. In 2012 they began their first US tour, on the east coast, before returning to Europe to begin work on their second album.^[6]

The band released their second album Eros|Anteros in 2013. The band described the album as the "story of love and the anti-love (life and death), and the growth they have experienced through these trials."^[7] Their third album Rheia was released in 2016 and featured a more black metal, blackgaze and post-metal direction. The album received a 7.8 out of 10 from Pitchfork.^[8] Both Tanghe and Demolder cited Mark Kozelek as a major influence on the album's lyrics.^[9]

In late 2017, the band said that they would be taking a break from touring and played their last show on 20 December in Brussels.^[10] The band released the song "Ease Me" for Adult Swim in 2019.^[11] The band was set to return from hiatus to play the 2020 ArcTanGent Festival in England.^[12] However, the festival was postponed until 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the band did not play.

During the hiatus, guitarist Demolder and drummer Coppers have continued playing with the band Wiegedood,^[13] while guitarist Bossu formed the band Predatory Void.^[14] Tanghe performed vocals on Amenra's 2021 album De Doorn.^[15]

Oathbreaker's eclectic style has been associated with various genres within the realms of punk rock,^[16] heavy metal^[17] and avant-garde^[18] music including black metal,^{[16][17][19][20]} post-hardcore,^{[16][17][18][21]} hardcore punk,^[16][20] post-metal,^[17][21] post-black metal,^[22] screamo,^[19] metalcore,^[16] crust punk,^[16] d-beat,^[23] sludge metal,^[16] art metal,^[24] shoegaze,^[17] and post-rock.^[23] It has been compared to that of Cobalt^[17] and Ghost Bath^[18] as well as Deathwish Inc. labelmates Deafheaven,^[17][18][23] Converge,^[19] Touché Amoré,^[23] Loma Prieta,^[23] and Planes Mistaken for Stars.^[23] Caro Tanghe's vocals have received attention as a prominent aspect of the band's sound; Exclaim noted that her "higher pitched screams rival [Converge's] Jacob Bannon's, while simultaneously being close enough to a black metal shriek, and desperate enough for screamo"^[19] while Stereogum praised her singing, stating it is "often melodic, and multi-tracked, and it gives these gigantic songs greater mass and momentum, as well as humanity and maybe even vulnerability."^[23] Furthermore, Metal Injection described her lyricism as "haunting and poetic, gothic and honest."^[18]

Current

• Lennart Bossu – guitars (2008–present)
• Gilles Demolder – guitars, bass (2008–present)
• Caro Tanghe – vocals^[1] (2008–present)
• Wim Coppers – drums (2016–present)

Former

• Ivo Debrabandere – drums (2008–2016)^[25]

• Mælstrøm (2011)^[1]
• Eros|Anteros (2013)^[1]
• Rheia (2016)^[26]

• Oathbreaker (2008)^[1]
• Amenra/Oathbreaker – Brethren Bound by Blood 3/3 (2011)
• An Audiotree Live Session (2016)

• Ease Me (2020)

• Live at Vooruit (2015)

• Metal Swim 2 (2019)^[27]