Album Reviews
Review: Heretic EP by Orchid
Orchid have recently signed with Nuclear Blast Records. No sooner then that was announced, this EP was also announced. Heretic is supposed to serve as somewhat of a bridge between last years most excellent Capricorn and their next full length slated for sometime next year.
The first song is “Heretic” and the sound is traditional for Orchid in terms of style. It has a familiar feel of both of their past releases. “Falling Away” features a folksy/acoustic guitar, which if you’re new to the band, is a bit of a departure. It has more of a Witchcraft or even a mid career Led Zeppelin feel to it. It’s slow through most of the song. Then, towards the end it picks up the pace, loses the acoustic (for the most part) and the electric parts comes in. It’s not real doomy but more of a Deep Purple-ish feel up until it finally fades out to begin the next song. “Saviours of the Blind” is a standard typical Orchid fare. This very bass heavy, Sabbath-ish song really doesn’t bring the band to new heights. For some, more of the same hurts the band and really doesn’t happen to help. Well that doesn’t apply here. Orchid manage to pull it off and keep things interesting. The addition of a more prominent lead guitar on this track towards the end kicks some major ass. “He Who Walks Alone” is the final song on the EP. It’s not a new song but was on their very good and very successful Capricorn album.
This is going to be a good one to get, even if it’s only 4 tracks, 3 of which are new, 26 minutes total. It may seem short but it’s not. 5 minutes is the shortest song while the others are at minimum, 7 minutes long. I wouldn’t exactly call this EP groundbreaking but the band does show that they’re more capable than just typical a Black Sabbath sound and are kicking it up a notch, even if that notch is just a short bump. I whole heartedly recommend this EP for not just established fans of the the band and doom genre but also as a starting point for someone just getting into the band. The EP is available now through Nuclear Blast Records and will soon make its way to your favorite shop.
