Oathbreaker is a Belgian band from

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

, formed in 2008 and currently signed to Deathwish Inc.Oathbreaker
on Deathwish Inc. 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 Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

scene but integrated extreme metal and

art music Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJacques Siron, ...

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.

History

Formation and early years

Gilles and Caro were childhood friends, meeting when Caro was aged 14. 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. 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.

Debut album and first tours (2008–2012)

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. 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 sophomore album.

Musical style

Oathbreaker's eclectic style has been associated with various genres within the realms of punk rock, heavy metal and

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

music including

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

, post-hardcore,

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way si ...

post-black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emph ...

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...

, metalcore,

crust punk Crust punk (also known as crust or stenchcore) is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on politic ...

d-beat D-beat (also known as Discore, kängpunk, Discrust, and crust-beat) is a style of hardcore punk, developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, after whom the genre is named, as well as a drum beat characteristic of this subgenre. D-be ...

, sludge metal,

art metal Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

, and post-rock. It has been compared to that of

Cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...

and

Ghost Bath Ghost Bath is an American post-metal band from Minot, North Dakota, formed in 2012 and fronted by Dennis Mikula. They have released four studio albums and one EP to date, melding black metal and post-rock music. They initially gained notoriety fo ...

as well as Deathwish Inc. labelmates

Deafheaven Deafheaven is an American post-metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released a demo album together. Following i ...

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

Touché Amoré Touché Amoré is an American post-hardcore band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007. The band consists of vocalist Jeremy Bolm, guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt, bassist Tyler Kirby, and drummer Elliot Babin. Among other ...

Loma Prieta Loma Prieta (from Spanish ''loma'' -hill, ''prieta'' -dark) is high and is the highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern California. Although the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was named for this mountain, the actual epicenter was ...

, and Planes Mistaken for Stars. Caro Tanghe's vocals have received attention as a prominent aspect of the band's sound; ''

Exclaim ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' noted that her "higher pitched screams rival onverge's

Jacob Bannon Jacob Bannon (born October 15, 1976) is an American musician who is the vocalist, lyricist and graphic artist for the metalcore band Converge. He is the co-founder and owner of the record label Deathwish Inc. and the author of many visual works ...

's, while simultaneously being close enough to a black metal shriek, and desperate enough for screamo" while Stereogum praised her

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...

, 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." Furthermore, Metal Injection described her lyricism as "haunting and poetic, gothic and honest."

Members

;Current *Lennart Bossu – guitar (2008–present) *Gilles Demolder – guitar, bass guitar (2008–present) *Caro Tanghe – vocals (2008–present) *Wim Coppers – drums (2016–present) ;Former *Ivo Debrabandere – drums (2008–2016)

Discography

Studio albums

*''Mælstrøm'' (2011) *'' Eros, Anteros'' (2013) *'' Rheia'' (2016)

EPs

*''Oathbreaker'' (2008) *''Amenra/Oathbreaker – Brethren Bound by Blood'' 3/3 (2011) *''An Audiotree Live Session'' (2016)

Singles

*''Ease Me'' (2020)

Live albums

*''Live at Vooruit'' (2015)

Compilations

*''Metal Swim 2'' (2019)

Music videos

References

{{Authority control Belgian black metal musical groups Post-hardcore groups Post-metal musical groups Screamo musical groups Metalcore musical groups Belgian crust and d-beat groups Sludge metal musical groups Avant-garde music groups Belgian heavy metal musical groups Musicians from Ghent 2008 establishments in Belgium Musical groups established in 2008 Deathwish Inc. artists Musical quartets