Blackened Swarms Of Sorrow

Orchid – Sign Of The Witch

Nuclear Blast Records – 2015

Muthas, San Francisco doomsters Orchid are back with their fifth (!) EP and, as per usual, it’s a superb mini-collection of 70s-inspired metal.  Most people think of EPs as being throwaways or stop-gaps, but Orchid’s are just as good as their LPs.  They assemble all of their recordings with great care regardless of the length which is not usually the case with other bands.  I love these shorter musical statements and I wish more bands would embrace the format, but I doubt they are very lucrative financially.   

Here’s a breakdown of the tracks:

“Helicopters” – Starts the album off with a crash and follows with a sense of impending destruction that permeates the rest of the song. Lyrically it’s about a village that’s being attacked, most likely during the Vietnam War.   It’s a very good track and reminds me a bit of “War Pigs.”

"John The Tiger" – The song is a perfect example of how Orchid truly understands one facet of Sabbath’s music that’s frequently missing from other doom bands – sometimes you just gotta swing!  This is definitely a toe-tapper and one of the highlights of the EP.  Killer!

"Under The Sign Of The Witch" – The lead single/video is a prototypical Orchid song, which means it recalls the glory of the Sabs without exactly copying any one particular song.  A massive drum sound is coupled with an excellent chorus that will get stuck in your brain for hours.  You’ve been warned!  Check out the video below:

"Strange Winds" – The last cut is a mystical, ethereal ballad that features a creepy 60s style organ sound that compliments and enhances the atmosphere of the song.  Orchid always excels at these ballads – e.g., “Falling Away” – and this one is no exception. 

One of the reasons that Orchid is one of my favorite bands is they understand the importance of cover art, fonts and layout.  They’ve got a very good sense of aesthetics and this time it’s exemplified by the 3d cover art on the EP, the cool fonts on the cover and spine, and the use of Bruegel’s The Triumph of Death for center labels and on the back cover.  Kudos fellas!

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The Bottom Line:  Sign Of The Witch is another excellent EP and it’s certainly worth your bucks.  If you’ve never purchased anything by Orchid, this is a great place to start as it’s a good overview of what they have to offer.  Check it out.

As always, MAKE MINE METAL!

10 Inches of Doom!

Orchid – Wizard of War

Nuclear Blast Records – 2013

Muthas, the band that can do no wrong is back with a sweet 10” vinyl EP that features their new song, “Wizard of War.” This is a pre-release track from Orchid’s greatly anticipated second LP, The Mouths of Madness.  So, did Orchid shit the bed and succumb to pressure from their new label and change their sound?  Of course not!

The EP contains three tracks of doomy perfection straight out of some dreary, mist-shrouded graveyard.  Starting things off is the ripping title track, which cranks the tempo up and conjures images of interstellar destruction, madness and tyranny.  In other words, the kids can dance to it!  Uh, maybe not, but they certainly bang their heads to it. Check it out:

The second cut finds the band stretching themselves a bit and incorporating some early Alice Cooper sounds on the creepy “Demon’s Eyes.”  It’s a kickass mid-paced tune that is stuffed full of hooks and a memorable chorus.  It was previously released on the Grave Command: All Hallowed Hymns compilation from Unseen Forces last year, but this is the first widely available release of the song.  Take a listen:

The final track was previously released on the Capricorn album “Albatross.”  It’s a somber, spacey song that recalls “Planet Caravan.”  One huge difference between this and “Caravan” is the lyrical content.  “Planet Caravan” was about floating around the cosmos making love to your girl, but “Albatross” is about fleeing the Earth and settling Mars, only to have the Sun snuffed out by the dopes left on Earth. Bastards!  The Mars relocation plan was a dismal failure, but this song is excellent. 

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The Bottom Line:  Orchid have once again offered up a killer EP to placate the faithful until April 26^th when The Mouths of Madness kicks the Metal world straight in its ass.  If vinyl is your thing, get out there and buy one.  If you like downloads and have no soul, you can download the title track from the usual suspects.  If you like CDs, you are shit out of luck.  Sorry man.

As always, MAKE MINE METAL!   

Melt Down Your Ploughshares

The Sword – Apocryphon

Razor & Tie Recordings – 2012

Muthas, that other little band from Texas, The Sword, is back with another album of crushing awesomeness – Apocryphon.  The band’s previous LP, Warp Riders, was a concept album, but thankfully, the new album is not because concept albums tend to suck ass.  Warp Riders was an exception to this rule because the story was muted and did not get in the way of the music.  Warp Riders did feature a more straight-ahead style of Metal, and Apocryphon continues this trend.  Some elements of Doom remain but The Sword is no longer primarily a Doom band. They have expanded their sound to incorporate many other 70s Hard Rock/Metal conventions. 

Overall, Apocryphon is superior to Warp Riders because of a complete lack of any shitty tracks.  This is one tight, focused album, packed with hooks.  The LP also flows beautifully due to the attention the band paid to sequencing, which is something most bands don’t seem to care about.  Further, the album is the perfect length at ten tracks, totaling forty-four minutes.  This is not some bloated, turgid victim of the CD age, but instead reflects the superior ethos of vinyl. 

 Tracks featuring the The Sword's signature sound include “The Veil of Isis,” “Arcane Montane,” and “Cloak of Feathers.”  All are excellent and should make it into their live set (“The Veil of Isis” already has been performed live.) “Execrator” is an under three minute blast of fury that recalls another The Sword classic, “Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians.” (I just mention this song so I could type it out!)  It’s quite the face-ripper and should get the rivetheads moving in the pit. 

The band has added some interesting keyboard garnishment to some tracks, namely the title cut and “Dying Earth.”  Don’t worry, as these aren’t some fruity, happy, power-metal keyboards, but rather something straight out of a 70s sci-fi film.  They fit the music excellently and really help get across the fantasy and science fiction themes favored by The Sword. Listening to The Sword is akin to finding a big stack of old Weird Tales Magazines and reading the amazing stories of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance for the first time.  Their albums are all about fantastic settings, sinister magic, space travel, and post-apocalyptic landscapes. Check out the lyric video for “Apocryphon“ and hear the awesome!

We are well aware here at The Metal Blog of Metal that some denizens of the Metal Universe consider The Sword to be secret hipsters and poseurs, who are either a completely fabricated band, or are only in it for the huge profits.  This is complete bullshit considering that (1) the band has been around for over a decade and (2) there is NO FUCKING MONEY in Metal!   Are you kidding me??  Why should anyone give two shits if a band is fabricated or not, or in it for the money or not, as long as the music is excellent?  If you are one of these TROO METUL RULZ!!! morons, do me a favor and click on the red x in the upper right hand corner of your screen and fuck right off.  You are too dumb to read this blog. 

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The Bottom Line:  Do you like the retro sounds of the 70s with a touch of Doom and much rocking?  If so, buy this album and enjoy life.  It’s another superb addition to The Sword’s burgeoning discography and well worth your coin. 

As Always, MAKE MINE METAL!

…About The End Of Days

Orchid – Heretic

Nuclear Blast Records – 2012

Muthas, San Francisco Doom merchants, Orchid, are back with an EP of pure, crushing Metal that continues their string of excellence.  Orchid is one of those bands that just gets “it” and know how to craft timeless songs that require repeated listens.  They also understand the importance of artwork in the presentation of their music to the listener.  Witness the amazing cover of the Heretic EP, which features two super cool retro fonts and a witchy woman clutching a skull.  You MUST drop the needle into the groove when you see this EP – it demands to be played! 

Heretic leaps to life with the rockin’ title track, which is a little ditty about being annoyed by proselytizing, religious wackos.  Orchid ain’t having none of that bullshit, as this song is a celebration of free will and freedom. Check out the track below and raise some damn horns!

The next song, “Falling Away,” shows the band really stretching themselves by incorporating a recorder and an organ into this mostly acoustic song.  It’s a mournful and haunting and is about a man realizing on his death bed that it’s time to pay the piper after the deal he made with the Devil.  It must be mentioned that it doesn’t sound like he’s full of regrets!  This track is the highlight of the album and sounds like it could be a long lost Black Widow cut, if Black Widow knew how to actually get their Metal on.

The last song on the digital version of the EP is “Saviours of the Blind” and is both grooving and groovy.  The bass is amazing on this track and once again proves that Orchid is talented as all hell.  Things really pick up around the 2:48 minute mark of the song with super tasty soloing that is a blast straight from the 70s.  The track conjures up images of muscle cars burning rubber down desert highways.  ROCK!!!!

The physical versions of the EP (vinyl and CD) feature a fourth song, “He Who Walks Alone,” which was on the band’s previous masterwork, Capricorn.  It kicked ass on that album and it still kicks ass on this EP.  I believe the only difference is that it has been remixed.  It’s another excellent track of the highest quality Doom Metal and will crush the skull of any lesser mortal who dares listen to it without the proper headgear, such as a Viking helmet.  

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The Bottom Line:  Orchid can do no wrong and you should buy this EP if you like Doom, traditional Metal, 70s hard rock or music that doesn’t suck ass.  Buy the digital EP now, and snap up the CD or vinyl versions when they hit the streets.  Your other option is to suck at life.   

As always, MAKE MINE METAL!  

Tales From The Crypt

Black Sabbath - Live In Paris 1970

Check out this live show in HD from Paris way back in 1970. In fact, this was filmed a scant two months after Paranoid was released. The quality is excellent and the band is one fire here. Watch this and witness the originators of Heavy Metal laying it down at the beginning of the genre.

The Spirit of ‘71

Orchid – Through The Devils Doorway

Church Within Records – 2009

Muthas, I don’t know how I missed this news but apparently a time machine was invented in San Francisco in 2009 by the band Orchid. Clearly these guys took a trip to 1971 and snuck into Island Studies in London while Black Sabbath was recording Master of Reality. Having soaked up the all the crushing doom that they could, the band hopped back in the time machine and headed back to 2009. Using all that they had learned on their trip through time, Orchid crafted the Through The Devils Doorway EP.

Maybe that’s not exactly what happened, but I'm having difficulty figuring out how Orchid managed to record 4 songs that perfectly capture the essence of Black Sabbath circa 1971. The guitar, bass, drums and vocals are all superb and the songs themselves are extremely catchy. The EP roars to life with “Into The Sun” which has an intro that recalls “Symptom Of The Universe” with its pummeling riffs. “Eastern Woman” is up next and it’s one of the hookiest songs I have heard all year. It will burrow into your brain and live there for days on end. It’s a totally badass jam of 70’s guitar tone heaven. Check it out below:

“Son Of Misery” is the next cut and it sails by quickly as it’s only 2:14 minutes in length. I really wanted this song to crank for about 8 minutes but alas, that was not to be. It’s a mellower tune a la “Planet Caravan” but it’s still two minutes of perfection. Lastly, Orchid serves up “No One Makes A Sound” which is an amazing track that obliterates lesser quality metal with its grinding riffs and hooks. This is doom metal of the highest quality and execution. These guys are talented as all hell.

Unfortunately it is somewhat difficult to obtain this EP at an affordable price. Luckily for us, the good folks at All That Is Heavy stock it for $10.99 and you can also get it from iTunes for a mere $3.96. Also, Orchid have released the LP Capricorn this year and it’s more of the same superb doomy goodness. The Metal Blog Of Metal will review the LP at a later date.

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The Bottom Line: If you are a fan of Black Sabbath, Trouble, Witchfinder General, Candlemass and doom metal in general you must buy this EP. This band deserves your support for gracing the Metal world with these 4 amazing cuts.

As Always, MAKE MINE METAL.