EP REVIEW: Head Wounds – Orbiter
Gainesville, Florida resident metallers ORBITER have been at this a while. Music lifers, they’ve already recorded an EP and LP, the former under their previous moniker THE YAM, and they’ve been active in several other bands through the scene over the years. That and their hometown all contribute to their latest EP, Head Wounds, that claims to reflect Gainesville through their own take on post-metal.
From the outset though, there isn’t much particularly post-metal about Head Wounds; the churning guitars might be there, but the plodding and fuzzy tone along with the vocal style all put them more squarely into stoner doom territory. There’s also the matter of runtime; post-metal often flirts with longer songs, while Head Wounds runs to a far more succinct 20 or so minutes across four songs. To be clear, none of these are criticisms; it’s just important to bear in mind that if you come in expecting the majesty of CULT OF LUNA or instrumental heft of RUSSIAN CIRCLES, you’ve been led astray.
All that aside, ORBITER are clearly competent musicians and songwriters. The opening title track begins with a short burst of feedback and methodical drumming before it lurches to life, the vocals drifting in before the scuzzy guitars and bass usher in towering riffs. There’s dynamism here, too; the aforementioned Head Wounds features clean guitars briefly as a melodic counterpoint, while Eyes Like Clouds delves into more indie and post-rock territory in its vocal and guitar lines.
The stop-start of Hellmates progresses to a full-bore, rollicking stoner-doom assault with a searing melodic line over top, before dropping back to fuzzy bass and eerie vocals, and closer Transmissions even seems to flirt with punk rock, BLINK-182 inspired guitar lines in its opening moments. It’s a fair melting pot of sounds that doesn’t sound incongruous, the band managing to assert their own identity throughout. The problems seep in with that identity; frankly while their sound is consistent, it’s not exactly new or anything that sets them apart from other stoner or post-genre peers.
Where ORBITER succeed is in crafting relatively short and snappy songs; there’s no drawn-out jams that sap the attention or will to keep listening, but equally there’s nothing hugely memorable about them despite the lack of bloat. There’s plenty of bands that occupy this same sphere and ORBITER don’t particularly stand out, but it’s not something you’ll switch off if it was on shuffle.
Rating: 6/10
Head Wounds is set for release on November 11th via Salvaged Records.
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