Orbit Culture : "Death Above Life"

 

This Swedish band mixes death metal power with thrash hooks to create something that feels not unlike Scar Symmetry. Sung vocals punctuate things at the expected spots. They have some pretty epic atmosphere, so if you are head headbanging teenager, I can hear plenty of reasons to be impressed. But we are adults here, so let's dig in further and see if there is more to this. 

It is really well produced with a crushing guitar sound that is massive. "Bloodhound" is all pummelling nuance, so much so that it sounds like Soulfly mixed Slipknot's brand of chaos. This shifts into more of a breakdown. Their more mainstream approach to metal kind of makes" Inside the Waves" feel bland, as it's a pounding I have heard from a hundred other bands, so I am listening for what is going to make them stand part from that. Some of the textures that made the opening track work so well are abandoned in an effort to open up the pit. ome of the industrial synth pulses begin to resurface when they lock into a groove. It feels almost too calculated. 

When "The Tales of War" kicks in, you can nod your head to it. Then they speed up and ruin that. Not enough dynamics, darkness, nuance, or hook for me. The more deliberate crunch to 'Hydra" is more effective. "Nerve' sounds like Gojira covering Metallica. The title track has industrial touches that make it feel more like a nu-metal take on death metal. Sonically, it is better than some of the choices they make on this album. "The Storm" is a little more deliberate, which also helps them. 

"Neural Collapse" offers a more Lamb Of God like chug but with the backbone of Fear Factory rather than the Pantera-like groove. "The Path I Walk" closes the album. It is a ballad that could have come from the new Bush album. I will give this album an 8.5, as it feels a little too straightforward for me, and I wish they leaned further into their industrial influences which might have set them apart more, but fans of more middle-of-the-road big arena/ festival metal will dig this. Nowhere as dark as the album cover suggests. Out on Century Media. 

pst503