Next it’s these LA’ers that we tip our hat off to. New to the scene, with just one full-length under their belts, we’re still gaga we mean crazy over their classic-rock inspired, no-holds-barred debut. Without further ado,
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| Palm trees in a cemetery. How very LA of you. |
we present Beware of Darkness. The best way we can describe Orthodox is perhaps this: remember when you read Kafka and channeled Poe’s depression while blasting an emo Robert Plant while Christian Bale (who’s just intense, always intense) tells you about the time between Batman movies that he went for a drink and fought off half a dozen Yakuza? Does that work? No? Well, it’s dark-themed music (“Life on Earth,” “All Who Remain”) that hits all the right parts of your coal-blackened soul: desperation, great lyrics and choruses, passion and yearning for hope. The trio fills out an immense sound that few five-pieces accomplish, and while it may not be the most diverse playlist, what they do (rock out) they do very very well (very well). The real test of a rock band’s longevity, however, is in their songwriting, and based on these dozen tracks, we expect Beware of Darkness to do very well over the next few years. Engaging, entertaining, and while not perfect, still a highlight of 2013.
PS – We didn’t even talk about “Howl”! How could we forget the Zeppelin-esque riff on “Howl”? We’ll let you check out the video, definitely the track of the year. Must… hear… song…!