Album Description

The Orchid's Curse have created a contemporary piece of uncompromising modern metal.  Seven songs which avoid the clichés of traditional metal music, without sacrificing heaviness or melody.  Armed with a diverse approach to song writing and coupled with focused lyrical delivery this Dartmouth based 5-piece is here to prove they are more than just another metal band.  With a tasteful amalgamation of various musical styles, such as, Hardcore, Punk, and Prog they build on their existing metal foundation for a distinctive sound which appeals to purists and everyday fans alike.  ‘Goodbye is when the Casket Closes…’ is an unstoppable metal force and is only a prelude of things to come.

Reviews

Alternative Zine Judging merely by its cover, its title and the band's name "Goodbye Is When The Casket Closes" is an album bound to be a symphonic black metal/goth metal album, but from the second you hit "Play" and up until this 7 track EP ends you get a completely different picture painted by a young metalcore band from Nova Scotia, Canada. Rather than melodic, synth-carpeted and classically built songs with a famale operatic vocalist and a male deep growler we get a stripped down low-tech street-hardcore-like bass/drum sound, Swedish death metal influenced guitar riffs and a vocalist (Josh Hogan) who's screaming ranges from sing-a-long gutsy screams to early thrash throatiness to near death growls, and backup vocals in the form of some shouts and near nu-metal spoken lines by guitarist Brian Jones; Altogether the vocals and rhythm section can be associated more with Hardcore, while the guitars originate from Swedish death metal. This is far from the melodic metalcore bands with whiny, clean vocals, and isn't exactly brutal deathcore either - this is much closer to the roots, much more metallic hardcore than "metalcore", is a sense. "Obsession" opens this half-hour ride with well-done dual guitar riffing, very Swedish and very accurate, and blasts its way up until a short bass break, tagging Orchid's Curse as not only a senseless metal machine but rather a standout incorporating some progressive death elements between chugs. More of this can be found in "Secure The Insecure", where Hogan's and Jones's vocals work great on top of each other (nice catchy chorus too), and drummer Bobby Webb really shines. The aforementioned guitar work isn't too original but still the compositions are superb ("Mark The Day", "Obsession"), having less breakdowns and more dynamics. Regarding the rhythm section – some of the bass lines are your "follow the guitar lead line" rather than just playing root notes (notice the awesome lines in "Suckerpunch"), which is a big plus on my scale. This debut EP may by ultra generic – but it works. Main influences probably include Refused and Pantera among other, meaning this is a crossover between thrash, hardcore and death metal. "Goodbye Is When The Casket Closes" can be found in the good side of new-school, mostly due to the respect it shares to the oldschool. Best cut here is probably the title track, where Josh Hogan really puts his throat out and the prog-death chorus adds great volume. Mostly Orchid's Curse suffer from their own DIY production, for the guitars could've been better if only they where sharper and less fuzzy, and the drum…oh, those hollow drums…could've made the difference between sinking and skyrocketing in tracks like "Behind The Skin", "Style Bleeds" (a great frantic finish) and even in the title track itself. It doesn't take a spotless production to make crushing metal release, but it does take proper production to highlight a band so it could slice through and stand out of the rest of the hundreds of bands in the "core" swamp, even if Canada's swamp isn't as flooded and the US's. For a debut EP this isn't bad, and sure raises expectations for a full-length; let's hope that unlike the already proved "Don't judge a book by its cover", the phrase "The greater the expectation, the bigger the letdown" will be left an unverified cliché. The Gauntlet Orchids Curse is a progressive/metalcore band from Nova Scotia Canada that formed in 2003. Their first full length album ‘Goodbye is When the Casket Closes’ is out now on Diminished Fifth Records. When listening to ‘Goodbye is When the Casket Closes’ bands like Killswitch Engage, Trivium and As I Lay Dying come to mind. Though it’s hard to pin point any one band in particular that sounds like Orchids Curse. Their music is a blend of that progressive guitar sound of massively intricate finger work and an angry hardcore rhythm section and vocals. Orchids Curse has a very tight sound, especially for being such a new band. The best song on the album has definitely got to be the title track ‘Goodbye is When the Casket Closes’. This song definitely displays the bands more progressive side. The main riff of the song is very fast paced but still has a memorable melody and the guitar solo section is played intensely with a lot of skill. The song ‘Behind the Skin’ shows the bands more hardcore side with vocals that remind me of Biohazard because they are shouted rather than sung, and a song structure that jars your senses along with the vocals. Though the rhythm section still stays very classically layered behind it. The song ‘Style Bleeds’ has a very heavy drum sounds that really brings the song to life, and the guitars come in once again with their higher octave scales. For those that are into the new progressive metal movement will definitely like Orchids Curse. Those who are not however, may just write them off as yet another band with that same sound. They are definitely talented musicians and songwriters and since the genre is called “progressive” it is likely that we can expect even more musical experimentation from Orchids Curse in the future. Rating: 4 / 5 Harm Webzine The Orchid's Curse is a Canadian band signed to Diminished Fifth Records. Their assault includes an unlikely blend of melodic death (without ynths) and numerous metalcore references. I honestly was surprised at how much I enjoyed this disc, that is, knowing virtually nothing about The Orchid's Curse. The riffing is solid for either melo-death or metalcore, the vocals are of the insane screaming variety, and the rhythm section is uncompromisingly relentless. If I were to venture a comparision with more recognizable bands, I'd say The Orchid's Curse is a cross between the melodic assualt of deathcore giants All Shall Perish (with a slower tempo) and either Blinded Colony or Within Y. The only real problem that this disc has is the production. I think the rhythm section kind of gets caught up in the action on some of the tracks where the vocals and lead guitar are brought to the forefront. Moreso the drums than the bass, but nevertheless, at key points it sounds as though the drums get lost in translation. Nonetheless, each instrument (when heard) sounds solid and well-executed. The guitars are probably the standout on the disc while the vocals come in a close second, but as I said, with the right production I'm sure that this album could be great all-around. I'd check them out either on Myspace.com/orchidscurse or through DiminishedFifthRecords.com. Rating: 7 out of 10 Standout Tracks: Mark This Day, Goodbye is when the Casket Closes, Obsession -Cuchulainn Metalstorm.ee Yeah well, hardcore is a genre that keeps throwing a lot of bands in the table, 80% of those bands are just ridiculously bad actually, 18% is simply the average group and the rest are quite good bands. The Orchid's Curse belongs in that 18% actually; their music is not groundbreaking nor crushing, it's neither extremely bad nor sucky and they actually drop a couple of good ideas in this their debut album. That's a good thing actually, this being a debut album I was waiting for an atrocious disappointment, but I received a nice surprise instead. The band has great musical sense, the first half of the album keeps you involved and it never gets boring due to the super-catchy riffs, groovy breakdowns and rhythmic beats; the album reaches its peak in the fourth track ("Goodbye Is When The Casket Closes") an aggressive cut filled with crazy riffing, cheesy lyrics, crazy changes and a very catchy chorus, this song is a great example of the band's abilities, an amazing song indeed…sadly everything dies before this tune, the idea of an MCD keeps haunting my mind while I hear the rest of the album, "damn if only these guys would have stopped in the fourth track", but I guess life's a bitch and albums can't be perfect all the time, too bad. So anyway, the band has interesting and fresh ideas, they accomplish half of them in this album, but at least they tried right? I can't really recommend you to buy this piece, but I think the followers of this genre must pay attention to The Orchid's Curse future, who knows, they might release something great soon. Best Tracks: "Goodbye Is When The Casket Closes" Performance: 8 Songwriting: 7 Originality: 6 pRoduction: 7 Overall impression: 7 The Metal Forge Professional effort from Canadian metallers. I was putting off reviewing this CD because I didn't like the cover art. I know you shouldn't judge things by their covers, like the saying goes, but come on, this is the 21st century. There is so much information around, coming at you from all angles 24 hours a day that you literally cannot consume it all no matter how much time or energy you have, so there has to be a way of separating the wheat from the chaff and one of the most primitive ways we do this is based on appearances. Blah, blah, blah it's not fair and inaccurate, but it's useful, and it works most of the time. Plus, I used to be in a metal band that used a very similar font for our cheesy graphics. Anyway, when I finally listened to it, my misgivings were somewhat abated. Orchid's Curse is a metalcore-ish band, very tight and with a good production sound. The hardcore vocals are crisp and the drums are nice and triggered, for that modern metal sound. There's some nice guitar work going on, in that Swedish New Wave vein, but with the metalcore feel. There's also some thrash ala The Haunted thrown in for good measure. However, for a seven track EP, it tends to drag on. It starts out punchy but ends up a little monotone with many songs having interchangable riffs. That said, the Orchid's Curse are apparently on their own indie record label that they've called Diminished Fifth Records, which made me smile, so I couldn't stay angry at this band for too long. I imagine an act like this would be a formidable live beast, which is after all where this sort of angry energetic metal is best suited. This band has a lot of potential. The snare roll at the start of Secure the Insecure is virgin-tight, like a sheet of paper ripping in two, and it's just one of many cool musical things that Orchid's Curse manages to insert into their songs that I hope will shine in their later releases. These Canadian lads have got the talent, now they just need to hone their skills into compositions with separate musical identities of their own. Unrestrained Magazine For a lot of young bands, making the right mark is crucial. Your debut album, or even just early releases, really kind of showcase what you are all about and where you are headed. Musically I like what Nova Scotia’s Orchid’s Curse are about – lots of drive, melodic guitars and a heavy-set dose of aggro-intensity that helps solidy a triumphant jolt of energy for the most part. Musically, this still sounds a tad formulaic in spots and the production does have its moments, but when Orchid’s Curse hit their strides (as on “Style Bleeds” and the title track) it’s all good. A bit more time in the studio and a bit more soul searching musically and these guys could make a definite mark. As for now they’re many other bands, just another blip on the musical radar.