Orchid is named after a Black Sabbath song and they wear that influence on their sleeve. It is extraordinarily obvious that this band's primary influence is the pioneering metal band from the moment the album begins. It is obvious in the artwork on the cover, the band photos, the production, and of course the music. There is really nothing inherently wrong with being highly influenced by a band and attempting to sound somewhat like them. Orchid though takes it to a new level.
Each of the songs on this album is essentially a deconstruction of Black Sabbath songs. I am not going to go through track by track but some highlights are "Mountains of Steel", which is essentially "A National Acrobat" and the opening riff from "Leaving it All Behind" is absolutely taken from "After Forever" while the song basically morphs into "Killing Yourself to Live" later on. I have read a number of reviews of this album that talk about it being influenced by Sabbath, however no one really has touched on the fact that this is basically a Black Sabbath tribute. The songs really are that close.
I will give the band credit that they are quite convincing at this. The music sounds authentic and genuine. Vocalist Theo Mindell does a great Ozzy impression and Mark Thomas Baker nails the down-tuned riffs of Tony Iommi. I do thoroughly enjoy listening to the songs on this album. They are catchy and I find myself singing along to them. I would not have bothered tracking down a physical copy if I did not enjoy the album. I just wish Orchid had a little more originality on this release.
No comments:
Post a Comment