Search - Orphanage :: Inside

Once again, Orphange [did] it

Brent P. Frey | Prairie Village, KS USA | 08/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish more people would discover these guys. They are really good! They were kinda catagorized with "all those heavy Goth-metal" bands that have come and gone at first, but Orphanage always stuck out like a sour thumb to me. They create an atmosphere unlike anyone else by incorporating every kind of effect and instrument excluding maybe the banjo and kazoo. With "Inside", they've managed to coat their abrasive, deathly tempest with ethereal keyboard treatments and serene, Celtic-like vocals, all tightly wound in seamless classico-prog arrangements. Orphanage master this peculiar mayhem by continually shifting their doomy metal assault from George Oosthoekâs bellygrowls to the spiritual cleansing of Rosan Van Der Aaâs virtuous chanting, while the band blast away at a conflicting musical tension that burrows between Entombed's rootsy slaughter and Therion's orchestral, over-the-top bombast. Standout tracks are Grip (great intro, huh?), Inside, The Stain Remains, and the slow, eerie "Behold". A feast for your ears."