Review: Ordh ‘Blind In Abyssal Realms’
Brattleboro, Vermont, is best known for its Creamery Covered Bridge, which frankly sounds delicious and the Madame Sherri Forest, which sounds less delicious. However, it’s also got a new claim to fame… a debut whirlwind of progressive death metal virtuosity courtesy of the four-piece known as Ordh, titled Blind In Abyssal Realms and sporting a wonderful cover from one of the best out there in Paolo Girardi. This is available right now via Pulverised Records and is one you should highly consider adding to your list.
On their debut full-length, Ordh don’t just dip a toe into progressive death metal; they submerge entirely, crafting an album that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a slow, spiralling descent into something vast and unknowable. That descent helps to conjure up a deep and immersive atmosphere that devours the entire record, allowing the listener to fall headfirst into it and inevitably struggle to drag themselves away, especially on tracks like Moon Of Urd, which is one of the strongest tracks on the record.
Vocally, Jonathan Hébert’s guttural delivery anchors the chaos, acting as a constant gravitational pull beneath the band’s more abstract tendencies. The vocals perfectly accompany the excellent musicality they sit within. The drums, although mid-paced, are lead-weight, well-crafted and help ground the more ‘progressive’ elements. The expressive and oblique guitar work never feels like needless noodlery, it feels purposeful and in line with the story building, like opener Apis Bull being a great example of this. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of chunky riffs to dribble over on, it’s not all atmosphere-building darkness being cast out by this death metal four-piece.
an engaging piece of progressive death metal that I’ll certainly be coming back to throughout the year…
I’ve also got to give a shout out to Graham Brooks at Merle’s Tower Studio, Andrew Oswald at Paradise, Brad Boatright at Audiosiege and Mikey Allred/Matt Hall at Guilford Sound for all doing a killer job on getting the production/tone sounding just ace, muddy enough for a death metal record but also wonderfully ethereal at the same time.
This record has plenty of highlights but truly deserves to be listened to in full so you can appreciate the top-tier immersion on offer and as far as debut records go, it’s a consistent and great effort that’s truly deserving of your time. From start to finish Blind In Abyssal Realms is an engaging piece of progressive death metal that I’ll certainly be coming back to throughout the year. Hail Ordh!
Label: Pulverised Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matt Alexander
