Ordh may be a new band, but it has seasoned veterans in its ranks. Formed by two ex-members of progressive/sludge metal group Barishi along with the vocalist of Come to Grief and bassist of KiefCatcher, Ordh takes the progressive foundation of Barishi and heads into death metal territory on their debut full-length Blind in Abyssal Realms. With a sound that’s rooted in the more progressive oriented death metal from decades past along with a healthy dose of other influences that have seeped in, the five tracks on this album twist and turn in ways that are genuinely exciting and will keep you captivated for its entire run.
Opener “Apis Bull” comes in with a bang, as it spends a brief period letting some ominous melodies and ambient sounds hover over the recording before huge, booming instrumentation takes over. From there the twists and turns don’t stop until the song comes to an end, and haunting melodies layer themselves over a lumbering, dense foundation. The back and forth of the instrumentation gives off hints of Timeghoul at points, but the rhythms also remind me of a more death metal focused Inter Arma with the soaring melodies of Mournful Congregation. As you get further into Blind in Abyssal Realms the sound shifts yet again, with “Moon of Urd” having a noticeably more death metal slant to the tonality, but the way the guitars soar at points is equal amounts heavy metal and prog. What I found interesting was the use of space on the two longest tracks, as this is where Ordh slows things down a bit and lets its progressive side expand outwards significantly, which gives the listener some time to breathe in between the onslaught of the other three songs. You can still hear some of Barishi’s DNA here, especially on some of the slower and doomier passages, but it becomes clear over repeat listens that Ordh has really developed their own sound. The title track is a great representation of everything they have to offer, as it starts off slow and methodical with haunting melodies that make it feel like you’re heading towards a dark, mysterious cave but then builds into a whirlwind of pounding drums and soaring guitars. There are some aspects to the production that does seem like it obscures some of the finer details a bit more than I would’ve liked, but considering how many sections have been stuck in my head since that first listen this isn’t a huge issue.
Come to Grief’s Jonathan Hébert fits well with the haunting and nightmarish tones coming from the instrumentals, as he has a lower growl that draws in a lot of traditional death metal but doesn’t feel one-dimensional. Hébert’s growls often echo over top of the already dense layers of sound and have an immense presence to them, which helps set the intensity level to its highest possible level. If you’ve spent time with Barishi you’ll notice Graham Brooks’ raspier screams at certain points, particularly on tracks like “Phlegraean Fields” where the sharpness of the pitch cuts through the sparser melodies. What also works for Ordh is the spacing they use between verses, as there are a lot of extended instrumental passages which gives both vocalists time to refocus and come back with as much power as they can.
On their debut, Ordh strikes a fine balance between the murkiness of classic death metal and the wild riffs and exploration of its more progressively oriented variants. There are more details to uncover with each listen, but the breathtaking qualities of the leads will have you invested the first time through. If you’re a fan of the types of twists and turns that bands like Timeghoul or even Blood Incantation have woven into the death metal space, this is an essential listen and one that establishes Ordh as a group already operating at a high level. Blind in Abyssal Realms is available from Pulverised Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg