ORBIT CULTURE: DESCENT (2023, Seek & Strike)
Written by: Antonio JovanoviΔ.
I remember it like it was yesterday: it was one of these weekend curfews during the Covid-19 pandemic I had nothing better to do than to drink and roam through Youtube and Bandcamp for some cool new tunes.
Just when a video of Shadow of Intentβs Gravesinger ended, I saw a thumbnail for Saw by Orbit Culture. I clicked on it and the first moments were ecstatic. By the time I reached the chorus I had to pause the song, put down my headphones, call my wife and tell her to drop whatever she was doing and listen to the song with me from the start.
By the end of the track our jaws have already hit our neighborβs floor β we were stunned by what we have heardβ¦
To cut the chase: Orbit Culture became my favorite band at the dayspring of my forties. Besides that, their music (especially album Nija) have helped me to deal with some demons that have been around for some time.
Now, you must guess that writing about this album is not an easy task, not to mention that itβs goddamn hard not to be biased. So I will be as honest as a devoted fan can be.
I actually really donβt like going through each song separately and Iβve never wrote about any album that way, but since itβs EksjΓΆ crewβ latest long-playing release I will make an exception.
Nija is my favorite album, period. Because of that I (shame on me) hoped that Descent is not going to be better, haha. I mean, of course I wished for it to be mere than amazing (and it was), but I also wanted it to be a βgood old Orbit Culture, yet somewhat differentβ. Guess what β it was. Thanks, guys.
Vultures of North single gave us not that many clues about the whole deal at the time it was released. Sure, it was kicking asses all the way and had that catchy β...beware of the antlersβ part which reminded me of Cannibal Corpseβs β...you got to kill or becomeβ verses β anyone could repeat it endlessly under the shower or while waiting in the cash register cue at the mall. Oh, and the video was amazing, giving me some Leshen goosebumps at the moment.
Bootleg clips of Alienated were a hit under the belt β fans were starving for the new stuff and they needed it as soon as possible. The song sounded really good, but not as good as it was during the album listening. The shortest song on the whole record (excluding intro) and because of that it is perfect for performing live β the crowd will always go crazy after it. While the chorus has mostly clean vocals, harshly growls hit at the perfect point, so the auditorium can shift into the frantic mode.
Even before the first verse of From the Inside started I knew that not only the song itself is going to be outstanding, but the whole album. Nick and the gang really know the business, they know when is the perfect time to release appropriate single, they are well aware how their always growing fan-base is breathing.
So, when you combine melancholic, yet powerful tunes with a grimy frost-covered landscapes, you know that it is what the crowd wants. Yeah, some of us may have somewhat good lives, but deep inside we all fell the ruthless coldness of this decayed world.
The first thing I liked about about the Black Mountain is the rhythmical spelling growls during βI feel lost, but so homeβ part β things like that I simply adore. Oh, and the drumming is the top tier, by all means! Chorus with clean vocals? Yeap, that fits my vision of a perfect blend of melancholic melodeath with a touch of melodic groove metal that went through existential crisis.
Sorrower is a sort of a bridge between two tracks. It is definitely not a filler nor it sounds bad β on the contrary! But it doesnβt have the same powerful feel as it predecessor, although it is one of these songs that can always make the crowd go nuts, especially when the solo hits up.
Jump to the Aisle of Fire, the song that explains the albumβs premise. It is definitely my favorite track since it is (at the same time) typical OC tune, but it also has some Amorphisβ Tuonela vibes (canβt really explain why it reminds me of it).
Verses like "You just wait till you're older" brought me a quarter of century back, to the point when these βwell-intendedβ creatures tried to mold me in their own shape (and failed miserably). And after all of these years of struggle, after all the shitstorms I went through to keep my true self, the reality is that βthere's something I lost through time, and it's meβ.
Yeap, ladies and gentlemen β me and a dozens and dozens and dozens of people out there have lost (at least a portion of) ourselves. It is not a repentless crime: it is a modern life itself. We all have done some things that we are not proud of, things that are not a core of our beings. But, we all have to go through the βsocial blizzardβ every single day, to fight all of these not-so-small fights. And as honorable anyone of us can be, sometimes we have to bite the bullet and to go down with the corporate world's stream, which is a true shame. Things shouldnβt be like that, but they still are and theyβre going to be that way for a long, long time
So, here comes a Descent of a being, this madness that is all around it. We have failed as a race. We have failed in every way possible. A tragedy of an individual is a tragedy of the whole collective.
Have you ever felt that youβre losing your mind? Burden of everything that you carry every single day; the pressure at your working place, family issues, constant fighting, alcohol abuseβ¦ It looks like there are no tools to fix anything and the only thing each of us can do is to embrace the fall into the void.
βI stand alone, on the hill that's reaching tall!β
To feel this way is not necessarily a bad thing: some battles are truly just your own. And even if they are harder than hell itself they must be fought. In the end you are not going through the ordeal only for your own sake, but also for the people you care about.
Through Time came as an outstanding outro to the complete descending saga. It sounded like a Heavenwood rip-off (and I cherish it completely): depressive, without the slightest bit of hope. Forthcoming end is near and making peace with the eternal nothingness seems like the next best thing in the world.
βI know there is nothing decided, but I know you'll believe in what I say, You don't belong in this darkness I'll take us downβ¦β
And once again in the Orbit Cultureβs lyrics I have found my own thoughts that I am afraid to speak out loud.
It is another reason why so many people like the band: they are shrinks we need, professionals that are not going to lie to us that things are going to be better. No! Everything is already screwed-up beyond repair, therefore we can only accept it, deal with it and to go through it any way possible.
Can you guess what have I done when I finally listened to the whole album? I played it again. And again. It was a proof that showed that Orbit Culture have a feel, knowledge, resource and (above everything else) a talent to create an album that is (at the same time) going to be a leech that will stay with its host for an eternity and is also going to generate new fan-base.
Descent is a long term product. When Shaman EP was announced, I was pretty sceptical whether it was a good move to release new material that soon after the groundbreaking album. And I was so, so wrong β those songs put the band even higher on the metal worldβ ladder. Four new songs, four different approaches.
Pre-Nija fans already knew that OC is amazing, but the rest of the scene had yet to see it. Sure, it is easy to say: βGo and listen to the bandβs complete opus,β but itβs not that simple. Music business works differently these days: you need to to show versatility with each song you publish and (above everything) you have to make the crowd beg for more.
That is why I think that Undercity is a hidden gem β it sounds like a leftover from Nija, but at the same time it has a strength of its own.
And that is why I said that this album is a long term product: Orbit Culture is currently touring with a lot of really big names for the last two years. But, they actually deserve to be the ones who are the headliners. Why, you might ask. Well, it is because they really act different β their whole persona is completely opposite of the bands that are in the headlines of Metal Injection or Blabbermouth and that is fucking awesome.
Since I had a chance to meet them, I can say that Niklas, Richard, Fredrik and Christopher are polite, well-mannered guys who respect everyone who reach to them, they donβt mind to do some (not that) small talks and to simply hang out (and catch a couple of photos) with people who appreciate their effort.
While we can appreciate Rasen, Redfog and Nija as works of art, people who made them have a mouth to feed. While metal can be (and still is) rebellious, there are some fees that any outcast has to pay. And I am not condemning β I am supporting it (since I am also a sort of an artist). And from the standpoint of Orbit Culture I am all for it!
Sure, it is quite likely that a band that gets into a situation where they have to fulfill a contract with the label can make some generic tunes, but not in this case. Every track on Descent has already passed the test of time.
Transition between songs is really good: the pacing is outstanding and the flow is almost flawless. There are no βfillerβ songs β tracks that are made to just buy some time between two βbangersβ. On the other hand, there are no tracks as North Star of Nija, Strangler of I, the Wolf and that is (somewhat) a deal-breaker.
I must repeat that this Descent is really good release. It suits both the hardcore fans, as same as the new ones. It is a lighthouse that will gather admirers of the modern melogroove and melodeath in one grandiose haven. On top of all of that, the individual quality of each track is going to help the pack become bigger and bigger in the future.
Links: https://www.orbitculture.com/ https://www.facebook.com/OrbitCulture https://www.instagram.com/orbitculture/ https://twitter.com/orbitculture https://www.youtube.com/user/OrbitCultureOfficial https://orbitculture.bandcamp.com/music https://open.spotify.com/artist/7k29FbDq69ju2fe6zTskxY https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/6199896
