Orme - No Serpents, No Saviours
Orme are a three piece Doom Metal trio from the U.K. who produce heavy, epic music that is a bit bare bones, but still engaging without the sleepiness factor of Funeral Doom. Taking a page from Deathspell Omega, the band recently released their single track EP “No Serpents, No Saviours” which is gritty, thunderous, and about 24 minutes of pulsing drums and guitars with rough vocals. Those who enjoy the likes of the less Gothic laden Doom like Type O Negative and enjoy more of the distorted thickened type like Crowbar meets Primitive Man. It is heavy and repetitive with somewhat hypnotic pauses in between, but it does feel like it drags quite a bit. The song is much more than the average listener might be used to, so prepare oneself when they try to listen to it.
Vocally and on the guitar side, Tom Clements holds everything together between the chugging riffs and somewhat muffled vocals, but there is a section after 6 minutes that is very quiet with some whispers and a few spoken parts before falling back into the heavier parts. It feels very streamlined and not overly produced, which makes it feel like almost a live performance. The solos are haunting and harrowing, but the drums from Luke Thelin really bring the thunder which doesn’t quite drown out the bass from Jimmy Long. There are even some tribal elements with the didgeridoo that can only be heard during the really quiet parts, and again it is so muffled and quiet that one can barely hear it, so it would have been nice to have the band amp that up and really bring something to lift the music up so it sounded less like the standard ‘Drone/ Doom’ epic. Your average Metal listener is probably going to be a little bored with this, but those who enjoy hypnotic and atmospheric Metal or epic Death Metal will really find Orme a fun listen without feeling too overwhelmed. While a bit basic, “No Serpents…” stomps its way along with little remorse and provides a crushing listen that is still engaging.
3 / 5 STARS
Oct 14, 2024
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