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We checked in with rising UK hard hitters OPENSIGHT and asked the band to exclusively reveal the five songs that have greatly shaped their sound, and here's the lowdown: "Choosing only five songs was difficult, but it was also a really interesting and cool exercise. Opensight has always drawn inspiration from different places: heavy metal, hard rock, cult cinema, vintage video game music, progressive music, spy themes, horror scores and plenty of other corners. Rather than choosing five favourites, we thought it would make more sense to pick songs that connect in some way with the ingredients behind our new album, The Outfit.
Of course, that means leaving out a lot of artists who have been hugely important to us, including Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Cynic, Fabio Frizzi, Jerry Goldsmith, Black Sabbath, Henry Mancini, Stelvio Cipriani and many more. Their influence is still there somewhere."
OPETH - The Lotus Eater
They could create long journeys full of textures, contrast and unusual sections, while still making it feel natural. “The Lotus Eater” is one of the songs that gets that across very clearly. “Ghost of Perdition” could easily have been chosen too, but “The Lotus Eater” has that entrancing middle section that almost feels like it could belong in a giallo film score.
Opensight does not really write “Opeth-long” songs, but their sense of freedom is hugely inspiring: the idea of following what feels natural and not catering too much to expectation, even your own. On The Outfit, “Defying Eye” has a middle section inspired by giallo cinema, and that kind of “anything can happen if it serves the song” approach is part of the spirit there.
Honourable mentions: “Ghost of Perdition” and “Karma”.
“Hyperdrive” stands out because of its simplicity. It is short, direct and built around repetition, but it still feels atmospheric, entrancing like a whole journey. The whole song revolves around its main riff and mood, and that repetition becomes hypnotic rather than static.
On The Outfit, songs like “In Plain Sight”, “Iris (I Rise)” and “Broken Vow” are built around central riffs, patterns or motifs that permeate the entire song. That idea of letting one strong musical cell cast a spell over the whole track is something we find very powerful.
Honourable mentions: “Save Our Now”, “Slow Me Down” and “Vampira”.
Picking one representative song from it is extremely difficult, but as enthusiasts of film music and spy themes, we would probably choose “My Flaming Thirst”. In a way, it sounds like an iconic Bond theme without actually being one. It has a hypnotic quality, rich arrangements, and a very direct structure. Despite using a fairly traditional verse / pre-chorus / chorus shape, it starts quietly and gradually builds toward a bombastic conclusion. It is the kind of song you want to play again as soon as it ends.
Also, the video we found online uses images from the Spaghetti Western Garter Colt, which is obviously a plus. If you listen to “Delusion” on The Outfit, you may hear a little of this influence lurking there.
Honourable mention: “Contain Thyself”, although really, the whole Queen of the Wave album is worth exploring."
Our pick here is the main theme from Death Rides a Horse, starring the great Lee Van Cleef. This theme has a particularly savage temperament, full of burning fury, tension and desert angst. It feels almost like a chant before violence. There is something both ancient and cinematic about it.
Morricone’s influence runs through a lot of Opensight’s music. On The Outfit, the intro “Procesión de la Muerte” is basically our own Morricone-style Mexican standoff theme, with all the funeral-duel drama that implies. You can also hear shades of that influence in tracks like “Mantra” and “Broken Vow”.
Honourable mentions: “The Chase” from A Fistful of Dollars and “La Lucertola” from Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin"
Fabio Frizzi has influenced Opensight in a significant way, but this time we are going with Goblin. They are synonymous with giallo and Italian horror, and “Death Dies” has a sense of immediacy that we also love to capture in Opensight’s music. It creates the feeling of being chased, watched or stalked.
You can hear some of that spirit in “Final Cut” on The Outfit, which actually had the working title “Stalker” during the songwriting stage. That should give you an idea of where our heads were at.
Honourable mentions: “Quiet Drops” from Buio Omega and the main theme from Profondo Rosso."
“Bravery on the Clutches” from Ninja Gaiden is a favourite. There is urgency, melody and adventure packed into a very limited sonic palette, which makes it feel even more impressive. That kind of writing has influenced Opensight more than people might expect, to the point that we sometimes use those textures selectively in our own music.
If you want to hear some of that influence, check out “Alibi” from Ulterior Motives, “Primitive Principle” from Mondo Fiction, or “Broken Vow” from The Outfit.
Honourable mentions: “Steady Advance of the Morning Sun” from Double Dragon II, “Area 2 Base” from Contra, “Nobody Told Me About id” from Doom, and “Forest of Monsters” from Super Castlevania IV."
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