Ordo Obsidium – Orbis Tertius (2011)

During our reviewing sessions it is very interesting to find bands that make us wonder where they come from and why we haven’t heard from them before. Ordo Obsidium is one of those bands that after listening to their devastating debut album “Orbis Tertius made us wonder where they come from since they have a very interesting Scandinavian/European sound. However, to our surprise the band comes out from the Bay Area in the USA.

Delivering five aural assaults of Doom-influenced Black Metal, this band means serious business since they can keep the kvlt side of things alive while bringing the tempo down a bit and not sounding dull or repetitive. The crushing opener “Nequaquam Vacuum” delivers the first 11 minute attack of powerful riffing and bestial drumming all surrounded by a melodic and nicely paced atmosphere. The vocals are as hellish as they can get, but they never get in the way of enjoying the underlying melody behind this track. The dreamy passages (i.e around the 6:45 mark) create excellent contrast with the high paced section.

Opening like a traditional BM song, “Into the Gates of Madness” delivers that raw kvlt feeling that all BM lovers will surely enjoy, but the acoustic passages near the end of the song is what makes the band’s music and sound very different from the rest of the bands. The explosiveness factor is also one of the best attributes of the band since from one second to the next they just blow up and the blast-beats make their way through the songs. For the Doom lovers, “Orbis Tertius” features some nice weeping guitars and the perfect tempo.

For all the fans of something more brutal, “Emptiness Under the Moon” will blow you away with its devastating opening section and overall high-paced riffing and drumming. Combining a bit of the Doom with the BM elements, “By His Unflinching Hand” is by far the best song of this release. The guitars are powerful yet painful, the drumming is just at the right level and the screams of pain are just perfect. The tempo of this song makes it very dramatic and depressive, just like we at Infernal Masquerade like things to be. A very effective closer for such a powerful and emotional release we might say.

Exceeding all of our expectations “Orbis Tertius” is an excellent release that nicely combines both elements of Black Metal and Doom Metal. Having a nice kvlt sound and excellent musicianship, we love how this album can cater to two different groups of people and still have its own identity. Ordo Obsidium is surely a band we will be keeping an eye out for in the future.

Release: October 10th, 2011

Country: USA