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Orchid

Sign of the Witch EP

Written by: BV on 28/07/2015 19:55:48

I’m no stranger to Orchid and their highly Sabbath-influenced take on doom sounding rock n’ roll as I first got acquainted with their album “The Mouths of Madness” when Rockfreaks.net’s very own metal aficionado Ellis “EW” Woolley reviewed that particular effort. I was lured in, to say the least, and it was therefore no surprise that I would indulge myself with this particular release as well.

In contrast to “The Mouths of Madness”, “Sign of the Witch” is but an EP but throughout their 4 tracks spanning merely 18 minutes, Orchid show signs of development that are crucial for the band to establish themselves as something more than mere Black Sabbath imitators. Opening with the ominous “Helicopters” there is something of a reference to Sabbath’s classic “War Pigs” in the slowly building riff and the somewhat Osbourne-esque vocals. It’s nothing overpowering though, so it merely seems like a fitting type of homage rather than a sort of mimicry. It’s a fairly riveting opening to the EP as the riff is downright catchy when it unfold somewhere near the 1:30 minute mark – revealing a somewhat bombastic chorus to follow the brooding verse.

The title track is the highlight of the EP and, in addition, also one of Orchid’s finest tracks to date. With its raucous riff, the gnarly vocals and the nastily lo-fi low-end of the band's rhythm section it immediately clawed its way into my consciousness – downright refusing to withdraw once there, leaving me with the track stuck in my mind for days on end. Whilst this can both be deemed a good thing and a bad thing, I find solace in the fact that I have yet to tire of the song – proving that it might just hold up after extended periods of listening.

Throughout these mere 18 minutes, Orchid seem to unfold some of the strongest tracks of their career as of yet. However, this does not mean they should not be wary of their influences and their somewhat overpowering presence in the band’s sound. Although they don’t seem to openly mimic bands like Pentagram, Black Sabbath or more recent acts like Kadavar, they still come across as too unoriginal to really be up there with the truly great acts where they want to be and where I want them to be. “Sign of the Witch” is a step in the right direction for sure, but there still seems to be quite a way to go before they’re there.

Download: Sign of the Witch, Strange Winds
For The Fans Of: Pentagram, Kadavar, Black Sabbath
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 17.07.2015
Nuclear Blast