Album Review: Orbit Culture – Descent (Seek and Strike Records)

Swedish metal highflyers Orbit Culture return with new album ‘Descent.’ Following on from the Shaman EP and breakthrough album Nija, Descent will be released on August 18th, 2023, via Seek and Strike Records.

Expectations are high for Descent, as Orbit Culture have proven themselves to be a reliably brilliant band release after release. Expectations are met, as Orbit Culture take a massive step forward with their sound. Descent is a mightily impressive release and the perfect follow-up to Shaman and Nija.

Beginning with dark and portentous atmosphere that builds into something truly cinematic, Descending is an intro that certainly gets the blood pumping. A perilous but exciting journey is underway and that leads wonderfully into Black Mountain.

It’s a frenetic explosion of heaviness with a massive cinematic backdrop. The intensity matched only by the sense of blackened grandness that comes from this beast of an opener. Orbit Culture are back, and based off this track alone, we have an album of the year contender on our hands.

Sorrower features some groovier riffs, but this is another scathing attack overall, especially as the drumming is meaty and the guttural vocals are so twisted sounding. How about those clean moments though? Classic Orbit Culture and as delightful as always.

Each track proves to be an exhaustive listen, not just because of length, but because they feature so much intricate detail. Something that shines brightly on the melody-layered From the Inside and disconcerting simplicity of Vultures of North. Don’t be fooled by the raging heaviness and head-banging demands of these tracks, there’s so much clever detail that you just have admire Orbit Culture’s song-writing abilities at this stage of their career. Though it would be remiss of us if we didn’t mention the hilarious catchiness to the chorus of the latter.

A word that really shouldn’t apply to music this intense but this is Orbit Culture, so what do you expect!?

Keeping it modest when it comes to heaviness, but bringing the cinematic touches back with aplomb, Alienated is another special offering. The combination of riffs and drumming on this track is out of this world. Then along comes The Aisle of Fire to upend the narrative briefly, as it features moving melody at the start, intriguing tempo shifts, and some really abrasive heaviness and speed. Before Undercity delivers one of the album’s most infectious head-bangers of all, a track that can be called an extreme anthem.

How good is this album? Diverse and rousing from beginning to end, it’s actually sad to see it come to an end. Thankfully, Orbit Culture’s quality continues to be showcased with the crash and smash of the title track. An obnoxiously violent example of their vitriol that everyone will just love. Then it’s the epic finale of Through Time. Where gloomy and cold melody grows with the aid of those cinematic touches that Orbit Culture have used so well throughout. We get echoing clean singing and a strong sense of sadness, before the track erupts into something even bigger.

A spectacular closing track on a spectacular album. Orbit Culture have absolutely knocked it out of the park here. There’s not a single thing wrong with this record.

Orbit Culture – Descent Track Listing:

1. Descending
2. Black Mountain
3. Sorrower
4. From the Inside
5. Vultures of North
6. Alienated
7. The Aisle of Fire
8. Undercity
9. Descent
10. Through Time

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