Ελληνικά
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Pulverised Records
Year: 2026
From the ashes of BARISHI rises ORDH, a spear-tip (as their archaic name evokes) piercing the veil of conventional death metal. Guitarist/vocalist Graham Brooks, seeking a raw plunge into his beloved genre after his band’s bassist departed, assembled this trio with longtime drummer Dylan Blake and bassist Josh Smith (ex-KIEFCATCHER). Vocalist Jonathan Hébert (COME TO GRIEF) jumped in mid-process, growling over Brooks’ feral riffs. The result? Blind In Abyssal Realms, a 43-minute odyssey of five sprawling tracks that redefine “progressive death metal.” Old-school anchors like ENTOMBED, DEMILICH, TIMEGHOUL, and MORBUS CHRON ground it, but classic Heavy Metal’s epic sprawl and unexpected melodies propel it into cosmic haze. Mixed by Andrew Oswald (MORTIFERUM, PERISHING), the organic, in-house sound—drums captured in a vintage-mic studio—feels dark, ominous, and improbably beautiful. Paolo Girardi’s nightmarish cover art seals the void-gazing immersion.
Apis Bull
A thunderous opener, launching with a monolithic riff that summons ancient bull-god ferocity. Brooks’ chainsaw tone slices through Hébert’s cavernous growls, building tension via off-kilter time signatures before melodic leads evoke a sacrificial rite. It’s pure death metal entry point, yet hints at the abyss ahead—tight, relentless, and primed for the journey.
Moon Of Urd
Nodding to Norse fate-weaving, this track uncoils with brooding atmosphere, shifting from sludgy mid-tempo crushes to frantic widdly solos. Blake’s precise yet thunderous drums lock in with Smith’s bass rumble, creating a hypnotic pull. Melodic interludes pierce the gloom like lunar beams, blending DEMILICH dissonance with MAIDEN-esque grandeur—progressive without pretension.
Phlegraean Fields
The album’s monstrous core, named for volcanic underworld plains, erupts in twelve minutes of seismic chaos. Labyrinthine structures twist through blastbeats, doomy dirges, and soaring harmonics, Hébert’s gutturals narrating a descent into infernal fields. Influences collide gloriously: TIMEGHOUL’s eerie prog-death with ENTOMBED’s grit. A mid-song breather of clean, haunting guitars offers rare beauty amid the torment.
Blind In Abyssal Realms
Title track and pinnacle, plunging into void-staring madness. It starts deceptively melodic, then fractures into polyrhythmic savagery and feral solos. Brooks’ “old-school” roots shine in the raw tone, but the epic scope—recalling MAIDEN’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner—frees ORDH to roam. Hébert’s roars evoke cosmic dread; Oswald’s mix ensures every layer breathes, leaving you hazed and hooked.
Hierothesion
A divine temple closer? Fittingly ritualistic, it tempers fury with ethereal cleans and progressive flourishes, fading into echoing abyss. Shorter but no less potent, it resolves the journey with mournful leads and a final riff-wallop, mirroring the album’s balance of beauty and brutality.
Blind In Abyssal Realms isn’t blood-and-guts DM—it’s a spear through genre norms, organic and unyielding. ORDH crafts a fresh mythos, leaving listeners mesmerized in Paolo Girardi’s cosmic nightmare. Essential for prog-death seekers.
