Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

While it's become increasingly common for bands like Witchcraft and Graveyard to distance themselves from overt Sabbath worship by retreating into the broader confines of 70's-inflected rock in general, San Francisco stalwarts Orchid continue fighting the good fight

Reviews

EP Review: ORCHID Sign of the Witch

No review found! Insert a valid review ID.

While it's become increasingly common for bands like Witchcraft and Graveyard to distance themselves from overt Sabbath worship by retreating into the broader confines of 70's-inflected rock in general, San Francisco stalwarts Orchid continue fighting the good fight: their latest EP, Sign of the Witch, is a lean four songs in 18 minutes, any given one of which unapologetically narrows the band's influences down to two: Osborne and Iommi.

To some extent that's unfairly reductionist, as there are more general acid rock flourishes inherent in the production, but in terms of songwriting it's Sabbath all the way. There's a certain endearing scrappiness in a band attempting to recreate the sound of the most influential metal band of all time, something which rubs off well when they actually do a credible job, as on the title track… arguably the catchiest tune Orchid have penned to date.

"Strange Winds" gives the uptempo jams a rest and closes things out on a darkly mystical, "Planet Caravan"-type vibe, ethereal moans opining bleakly beneath a raga-like drone. You keep expecting the simmering tension to boil over into a full blown jam, but the band continue to draw it out indefinitely, leaving the tension unresolved and the listener wanting more… which is most likely the entire point of this stopgap EP to begin with. It's been two years since the last new material was released under the Orchid banner; let's not make it another two more.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lreXQQEPbdY[/youtube]

 

Show Comments / Reactions

You May Also Like

Latest News

The Watchers are Ripple Music's latest contribution to the new wave of American heavy rock and by God do they know how to bring...

Weekly Injection

Last week was the first of the new release date here stateside, and all stops were pulled! This week is pretty light in comparison....

Tour Dates

Kirk Hammett is bringing the Fear FestEvil back for another year. Yes, there will be horror memorabilia, yes there will be movie screenings, but...

Latest News

Crowbar, Red Fang, Orchid also on the bill.