Orbit Culture: Metal To The Masses
Swedish phenomenon ORBIT CULTURE went from making rumblings in the underground to exploding into an overnight sensation off the back of 2020’s Nija. Since then they have been conquering the world one city at a time, bringing their ferocious take on modern metal to the masses.
Frontman Niklas Karlsson and his brigade had a pretty hefty benchmark to live up to with whatever was to follow next but he is definitely ready for the task at hand. “I’m not gonna lie, at the start of an album cycle when you’re writing new shit you do second guess yourself, wondering if people are going to like it and you get these voices in your head trying to dictate what you should and shouldn’t do. When it’s just you and your guitar you just get into the zone and block all the noise out and that’s very exciting. I’m a bit older now but the process hasn’t changed a great deal. I feel like I have a good grip on what I set out to do so it’s faster to make a new record. I’ve become a lot more well-rounded with mixing and everything but it’s always the same process, wait for your spouse to go to bed so you can sit up all night in the studio trying to figure it out!”
2021’s Shaman EP was initially perceived as a stopgap to tide fans over until the pesky pandemic decided to depart and live touring could commence once again but it actually became quite a pivotal entry into their catalogue. Descent saw the band experiment with orchestral, symphonic elements which allowed the music more opportunity to breathe in amongst the powerful riff segments. This brought a fresh perspective and opened the door to more expansive compositions, a mentality which would then spill into the impending full length effort.
Their eagerly awaited follow-up entitled Descent is hot off the press and follows a similar blueprint but with an added bite and the intent to send their legion of fans into a frenzy. “It’s a roller-coaster of everything that you’ve heard from us up to this point with a lot of new elements of course,” explains Niklas. “The goal was to make the biggest sounding record we could. Nija was like this big mechanical beast but with Shaman we focused on writing songs which would sound great live. I’m very satisfied with how it turned out. I saw the movie Dune and I really liked the imagery and the soundtrack. I’ve never seen something like that before and I really wanted to replicate that kind of vibe and create this enormous fucking thing. I went to see a Hans Zimmer concert back in 2017 and it was hands down one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen!”
In previous iterations, Niklas has used ORBIT CULTURE as an outlet to exorcise his demons and channel his emotions through the medium of music. This approach has brought significant success and he has very little intention of changing his formula, which also includes him being the sole writer for the band. “I am maybe too much of a control freak but that’s how it started, just sitting by the computer putting flesh on the bones and that’s the only way I know how to work so I’m sticking to that formula for now. I always find it easier to write about personal experiences, my feelings and something I can relate to and open up about. Whether it is mental health, drug abuse or anything like that. I wanted to write something about the demons I’ve talked to and told them to get the fuck out or I’ll take them down with me. My way of dealing with things.”
The rapid ascension of the band has allowed them to play in front of massive crowds at festivals and events all across the globe, the realisation of this monumental rise sometimes passes Niklas by as he is so focused on pushing the band to be the best they can be and looking onwards to the next milestone. He now has the unenviable task of trying to jam all of their big hitters into one setlist! They are due to embark on a huge tour as support to the mighty TRIVIUM and want to make a lasting impression.
“When we are playing support slots I always try to think of what the fans would want to hear, especially if we only have like 30-40 minutes on stage. We want people to hear as much new material as they can but at the same time play the music that got us to this point. I’ve always dreamt about getting to this stage and now that it’s happening I have to take a moment to appreciate it as I’m always looking forward. Looking back at the last few years it’s been amazing and we’re not stopping now!”
Descent is out now via Seek & Strike.
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