“The descent into madness is all I see, and it’s all I’ve seen.”
Sweden, time and time again, seems to churn out the most creative and influential metal bands, even more so than the coveted heavy hotspots of Australia, the UK and the US. Together, early trend-setters from the country collate an absolutely jaw-dropping list of acts: In Flames, At The Gates, Meshuggah, Bathory, Opeth, Amon Amarth, Scar Symmetry, Soilwork, Sabaton, and my all-time favourites, Vildhjarta. Each seems to have inspired the other, interconnecting into an endless web of blissful heaviness.
Orbit Culture – who made their industry breakthrough with the stellar 2020 full-length, Nija – have understandably and deservedly made their presence known in recent years, leaving many to herald Orbit Culture as the next notable name in the Swedish metal hall of fame. Three years on from Nija’s release, Orbit Culture’s latest studio outing – Descent – is upon us.
Torn right out of a Steve Jablonsky soundtrack, opening set piece “Descending” is an atmospheric assault of thunderous orchestral percussion, given shade and texture by dark, brooding synths and foreboding strings. “Descending” flows effortlessly into “Black Mountain”, which itself is opened by cataclysmic-sounding percussive offerings by the band’s drummer, Christopher Wallerstedt. The undercurrent of “Black Mountain” is one of uncontrollable disaster, as vocalist-guitarist Niklas Karlsson lashes out with visual lyrics referencing the sheer force of mother nature: “I’m here, under mountains still / These caves expanding new trails that I’ve never seen in here / But there is something inside of me / I’m drowning in water / I’ve reached the bottom of the sea.”
The just-released single “From The Inside” opens with ambient, dotted guitars and some nigh-undecipherable low-tuned riffs absolutely awash in bass frequencies that overwhelm the rest of the composition. Despite the muddy mix, “From The Inside” still slaps with a colossal, calamitous chorus with major In Flames vibes both melodically and sonically: “And it all crashes down from the inside / And it all crashes down on me / You’ll see through ice / But you can’t reach it.”
“Vultures Of North” swings in next, bringing with it balls-to-the-walls fury equal to Bleed From Within and Sylosis. Scratchy dissonance swarms around a death-metal guitar chuggathon, whilst two-step drums give the track a devastating abundance of mosh-worthiness that stands above most-else on Descent. According to Karlsson, “Vultures Of North” is Orbit Culture’s returning anthem following the pandemic, which is mirrored by the track’s artistically-striking primal, primitive feel.
Late-album tracks “Undercity” and the eponymously-titled “Descent” seem to do little but meander – seemingly-endlessly – towards the album’s conclusion, despite possessing some downright pulverising riffs. Coupled with some “yeah, it’ll do” mixes across the board, the latter half of Descent sluggishly coughs and splutters to a disappointing halt, dropping momentum with rather predictable and regrettably dense tracks that listeners will likely grow weary of whilst approaching Descent’s climax.
Fortunately, album-closer “Through Time” is the most varied offering here, providing redemption and a musical resplendence that I sincerely wish Descent had a little more of. Where the fifty-odd minute journey of Descent is potholed by a number of formulaic songwriting choices and long-winded, almost unending heavy passages, “Through Time” is a more open-ended, graceful and poetic affair. From its sombre, funereal introduction of emotive guitars, strings and choral voices comes Karlsson’s ghostly clean vocals: “The cold has reached the end of days / A bird in white sings of earth again.” Soon, hypnotic, atmospheric tapped-lead guitars enter the fold atop a glorious finale of instrumentation and the song’s semi-chorus of “I feel like I’m getting closer / To the end of all pain / And I feel now I’m in closure with me.” As Orbit Culture wind “Through Time” to its concluding onslaught of blast beats, a final, harrowing classical guitar outro resounds from the embers of the track. This is how an ending song is done right, and this is also exactly what I feel the rest of Descent is missing.
Descent is certainly a strong record conceptually, albeit atrophied by a regrettably dense approach on both a mixing and a songwriting standpoint. Where Descent truly starts to shine, however, is in its most vulnerable moments. The album’s moments of elegance and emotional poignancy do much to alleviate – or at the very least – distract from many of my gripes, and although Descent doesn’t quite deliver on previous album Nija’s promise, it is an applaudable and commendable effort nonetheless.
6/10
Descent by Orbit Culture releases on August 18th via Seek & Strike. For more reviews on coverage on the most-anticipated metal releases, stay tuned at Boolin Tunes.