ORC S/T cover art by Sly Me Illustration

All I really need to say about this debut album from ORC is how many times I've listened to it in the past 2 days since it was released. Over twenty times. It really is that good. Have a listen and then I'll break it down why I dig this album so much:

There is so much to like here, but in particular I have always dug a setup where the bass is the lead string instrument. (Check out my comp from last year Sticks & Strings vol. 1 for some more bass & string setups including Eats Batteries and Bardo.) It's pounding fuzz-ed out non-stop energy, and the drums have to work extra hard to make up for the low number of instruments.

Then there is the blend of progressive and stoner metal sounds. The band took it as their goal to mix these two genres together, and the result is way beyond anything you could hope for. The fuzz never stops, the heavy riffs never quit, and now you are getting an idea of why I've played this so many times in the past couple of days.

If this album was instrumental, I would still be raving about it. I would still have listened to it as many times as I did. (For example, check out last year's MOOZOONSII debut album with its instrumental stoner groove metal.)

But this album ain't instrumental. It has vocals, and does it ever! Andy Jeglic's singing piles onto the constant energy so well that it takes this album up to a new level. Andy's singing is the perfect match for this hard-driving music.

Orc says they were going for a mix of progressive and stoner metal, and Fuzzy says they found it!