ALBUM REVIEW – ORBIT CULTURE ‘DESCENT’

Posted on by Oran


Swedish brutal groove quartet Orbit Culture unleash album number two and it continues to pummel the senses… in a very good way!

Orbit Culture have been pretty much relentlessly either touring or being holed up in a studio.

In 2020 we had their debut album ‘Nija‘ which was an assault to the ears, and then 2021 we had an EP in the guise of ‘Shaman‘.

Being the almost new poster-boys for modern Swedish metal, they draw influences from their peers like In Flames and Soilwork, but add their own level of brutal rifferey and groove. I can safely say their sophomore album ‘Descent‘ is a much more focused and overall clearer picture of who Orbit Culture are musically.

During the 48 minute run time, you are going to hear elements of some of the HEAVIEST groove metal, huge almost ‘Euro pop-esque’ choruses and absolute filth-laden breakdowns.

This album has it all and in abundance too. There is less in your face blast beat brain melting anthems than we had in previous offerings, as the band opt for a more less fussy but oh so equally heavy and groove drive tracks. Songs like ‘Sorrower‘ and ‘From The Inside‘ are great examples of how they have approached the songwriting, slabs of guitar stomp with keyboard atmospherics before clean vocal choruses pull a cheeky 180 before going back to the gnarly foot stomp riffs.

Collectively the album flows very nicely, although some songs do sound similar in both structure and delivery, Orbit Culture purists will agree this album needs a good few listens to have more distinction between tracks, but this isn’t necessarily a negative.

Each song can stand alone and hold their own and there really isnt a weak song on the ten song album here. On one hand you have ‘VulturesĀ of the North‘ which stomps from the opening riff and throughout, to album closer ‘Through Time‘ which is the “epic ballad” track, but really does actually deliver in its epic sonic glow.

Overall this is a more focused album than the aforementioned ‘Nija‘. The increased use of keyboards and atmospheric layers makes this a bigger sounding record and collectively you have a brilliant album here, and the production needs to be mentioned also as it is mixed perfectly, an album that needs to played LOUD.

As I type this I am on my tenth or eleventh full listen through, and I am actually starting to really ‘get’ the album. I advise you do the same and you will probably agree, this is a pretty bloody special record.

‘Descent’ it out NOW. Buy your copy here.

5/5

DJ Pennell

www.overdrive.ie 2023