Om - God Is Good Review

Breaking up was the best thing Sleep ever did. Sure, they made Jerusalem, a stoner metal masterpiece that was basically an hour of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" riff. But the record was a logical limit-- how much more droning and Sabbath-esque could a band get? When the band split up in the late 1990s, it birthed two behemoths: Guitarist Matt Pike formed High on Fire, while bassist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Hakius formed Om. High on Fire's mixture of Motörhead and Black Sabbath has found considerable success, and Om's drums-bass-vocals shtick has also garnered a large following. The two bands are as if Sleep separated into its constituent elements: High on Fire continue (and accelerate) Sleep's midrange roar, while Om explore Sleep's mantra-like low end.

Since Om are a duo, Hakius' departure last year caused a stir. His metronomic, cymbal-heavy style was literally half of Om's sound. Many fretted over the choice of Grails' Emil Amos as his replacement. Amos' style is busier, and at first seemed like a poor fit for Om's spareness-- 15-minute head-nodders don't need fills clattering away in the back....full text Rajendra Dubey (Pathak) is a simple salesman who has big dreams. Being an hardcore Dhiru Bhai Ambani fan, his biggest dream is to become like him but using ethical ways. He even carries with him brochures of a scheme that he believes will change his (and his investors’) fortunes forever. But the thing is there is simply no one who is interested in investing in it, except his boss (Harsh Chayya). Dubey’s sweet but frustrated wife Suman (Divya Dutta) begs before god to change their fortunes. God (Saurabh Shukla) obliges and thus begins a series of events where god tries his best to make Rajendra rich but with little success. As when Rajendra does finally get the one thing he’s been dreaming of, he has no idea of what to do. The rest of the film revolves around how Rajendra comes to terms with his obsession.

Finding one good reason to watch this film is real frustrating as what could have been an enjoyable comedy ends up being a sheer waste of time for various reasons. The concept appears okay for an one hour comedy show on television but blowing up for a big screen version makes it really silly and boring after a point of time. The actors, right from Vinay Pathak to Saurabh Shukla appear completely over the top. Divya Dutta appears wasted and has nothing much to do. Harsh Chhaya gets mysteriously disappeared in most of the parts. The jokes looked forced upon and naturally fall flat. Unnecessary elements (an item dance out of nowhere) make you cringe in your seat. If that is not enough, you are subjected to a topless hairy Saurabh Shukla!...full text In the understatement of the week, OM’s fourth album God is Good does not sound any different to their previous albums. However, before letting your inferior minds totally misjudge my subtlety, let me bluntly point out that OM fucking rule. 2007’s Pilgrimage was arguably OM’s most focused release - despite the sneaky J grandeur of their oft cited masterpiece Conference of the Birds, hearing the punch in the face bass of ‘Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead’ while on the spliff stick is a musical moment that is not easily forgotten.

Despite a line-up change (which to other unenlightened bands consisting of only two members would be the end), Al Cisnero keeps OM’s sound afloat in the absence of drummer Chris Hakius. In essence, OM is a ganja-fuelled spiritual journey consisting of simplistic yet invigorating beats and mind melting bass lines, with this combination under Cisnero’s plodding vocals and outlandishly toasted lyrics being one of utter dankness....full text