Orphans of Dusk : "Spleen"

 This doom trio that features the singer from Mesmur, seems to draw a great deal of Type O Negative comparisons. But how accurate is that ? Since Type O Negative is one of my favorite bands, I am pretty qualified to weigh on this. Then there is the fact I am weighing in on this kind of thing across a multitude of music planforms any ways. They are doom band with low sung baritone vocals , but also use death metal snarls as well, which not what Peter Steele did, so yes there is influence there, but Woods of Ypres, Moonspell, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride could all be influences as well. If you just label them a Type O tribute then you are telling me you have a very limited range of musical knowledge. Not that they are the most original band either, but I found "Wasted Hero" enjoyable. 

By the second song I am listening for where the identity of this band is buried beneath their influences.  The impact of their oppressive gloom holds more impact when you first hear. "I am Going to Haunt You" does have a hooky chorus, so it's not surprise they released a video for this song. The verses do not groove in the way that made Type O so infectious, so they are more like My Dying Bride in this regard. They do the pick scrapes to further the illusion they are giving you bloody kisses, but then lurch in growled doom that languishes in the misery. The singer's croon reminds me more of Burton C Bell. The trade of of the vocals with the croon, further spotlights this fact for me. It's odd that this is coming out of Australia / New Zealand , Finland or England would make more sense to me. They do slowly lean more into the more funeral side of doom as the more sprawling compositions unfold.

The title track finds them sitting solidly in sound of most of the metal bands I listened to in the 90s. Bands like Tiamat and Samael got darker and more melodic. There was a similar pained croak that narrated the more romantic tales of sanguine addictions.  The most Type O like moment is how they ebb and flow from the transitions on the title track . I appreciate the darker direction they go down with "Victim of a Vampire", It might take me some time to warm up to some of the tempo shifts in this one, but it could happen. "Magic Keys" is just and interlude to throw a guitar solo onto. For the purpose of this review I am not counting it as a song. 

"Falling Star" plods along in with enough charm as it splashes synths onto it's shoulders. Not sure lyrically what they are getting at and when I think I am about to untangle this , they shift into a heavier dynamic;. The snarled vocals have more of a Cathedral cadence. I  will give this album a 9, as it's not the most original thing , but I like where they go with and the toys they are choosing to play with are some of my favorite toys in the toy box. If you are a fan of gothy doom do yourself a favor and check this out. This dropped on Hypnotic Dirge Records. 

Orphans oF Doom : "II"

Orphans of Doom are not actually doom. This is fine with me as I do not like when bands have the name of the genre they play as part of their name. What are they? you ask, Sludge n roll. The vocals are throaty . Almost Motorhead like. The guitar wants to boogie and the drums provide a relentless hammering. They hammer even faster and harder on the second song. Yes these guys are heavy. Is heavy enough to keep me interested ? No. That is not saying some of the songs do not begin to grow on me. My second listen of "Swans" finds me appreciating it's chug more. The way the vocals accent the riff to his one is the closest these guys really get to having hooks. They do have a nasty guitar sound that is so dense and rumbles as hard as the bass that it begins to remind me of "Wolverine Blues" era Entombed.  They throw in some guitar harmonies here and there for marginal melodic effect.

'Rust " digs harder into sludge. The guitars are more fuzzed in some places , but there is not anything we have not already heard on this album. That statement can be applied to every song on this album from this point on. "the Last of Me" picks up the pace. It is not the only moment I detected a punk vibe but it is one of the most pronounced.  "Viper Diaper" is the first song that brings in any new sounds , mainly due to them slowing down and a spoken vocal instead of the husky grunted one. Not the firs time they use guitar harmonies, but they are put to a more logical use here.  I am always a sucker for a well done chug so the alst song wins me over, not in a way where I really feel compelled to listen to it again , but I enjoyed the listen that I gave it. 

I knew nothing of these guys going into this album, so I had no expectations , thus it could not be disappointing in that regard. It is very one dimensional. There is a big mean guitar sound, but that alone is not enough to carry the album. The vocals becoming boring after four songs. I will give it a 7.