Funeral Rain Press Corps

Wisconsin’s given birth to a potent and proud young metal beast which answers to the name ORWELL. Escaping current “for the moment” musical trends, this five-piece attack squad execute massive hooks with extremely professional precision and prowess on their self-released debut full-length Endeavors.

While somewhat reshaping melodic Swedish death metal as mastered by In Flames and Soilwork into a more American style in the vein of Black Dahlia Murder or All That Remains, moments of Endeavors also bleed with a bit of stoner metal one might attribute to Corrosion of Conformity or Down. Scorching solos and lead guitar tracks flow into epic buildups while going head-to-head with destructive death metal and mosh-driven thrash elements, all developing the energetic and empowering flow for the ten tracks of the band’s impressive debut. The entire Endeavors album is available for free streaming here.

Orwell are also one of the 20 contenders in the Metal Insider “No Labels Needed” Contest, where bands are competing for a chance to record an EP with Machine (Lamb of God, Every Time I Die, etc).

After regionally touring throughout the Midwest and sharing the stage with Dead To Fall, Misery Index, Obituary, Intronaut, Napalm Death and countless other nationally touring acts along the way, Orwell are taking to the road heavily in 2010, with regional shows constantly going down, and several months of nationwide touring in the planning stages now.

ORWELL’s upcoming shows:
3/12/2010 The House of Rock – Eau Claire, WI
3/13/2010 The Reptile Palace – Oshkosh, WI w/ Wing Attack
3/26/2010 Lancaster Youth and Ag Building – Lancaster, WI w/Alice 13th, Men Among Giants
3/27/2010 The AfterDark – Steven’s Point, WI W/ No Wings, Heartseeker
4/09/2010 The Red Raven – Fargo, ND w/ The Suit
4/10/2010 World War Scene @ The Eagles Club – Mandan, ND

With this massive album, plenty of tour action, a professionally sculpted video and an overall hard-working band ethos, Orwell are well on their way to becoming a well-known act in the metal world.

Genres: Doom, Sludge, Stoner Metal
Label: Relapse Records

How does Matt Pike top Blessed Black Wings? With Death Is This Communion.
It’s an even more focused album, even doomier and sludgier than the last. Better songwriting and even better lyrics, still based on H.P. Lovecraft but also the Bible and some other inspiration source that I cannot remember right now. Plus, the cover art even features a cute little Cthulhu.
And, to make me even happier, it’s two songs longer than Blessed…, two of which are instrumentals.
So yeah. It’s fucking awesome.
9.5 out of 10.

Genres: Doom, Sludge, Stoner Metal
Label: Relapse Records

Opening with a monster of a song in “Devilution”, High on Fire’s Blessed Black Wings seems hellbent to destroy all preconceptions of stoner metal.
Quite frankly, I think it succeeds. It’s got the speeds of death metal with the riffs of doom and the lyrical subject matter that would make J.RR. Tolkien, Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft smile. In fact, two of my favorite tracks from the album, “Face of Oblivion” and “Cometh Down Hessian”, are based on H.P. Lovecraft stories.
The solos are fast and long, the riffs crushing, and for anyone who’s heard High on Fire before or seen them live, it’s all done fucking LOUD.
In all though, I still think Blessed should have been a longer album. It’s only eight songs, clocking in at like 54 minutes. Another song or two would have been great. It’s still satisfying, but it would be more if it were longer. Apparently the Japanese vinyl version has a cover of Judas Priest’s “Rapid Fire” on it as well, which I would love to hear.
8 out of 10.

High on Fire on MySpace.