(Written by Islander)
The world as we know it is a bleak place, our inner worlds too often beset by turmoil and disappointment, and the outer world too savaged by humanity’s abundant, never-ending flaws. To be sure, we have glimpses of beauty and hope, but much of the time it’s a struggle to see them through the new and continuing ruins each day brings, inside and out.
Some metal bands succeed in creating diversions from the darkness, others seem to embrace it with a kind of nihilistic joy, and still others ruefully capture the grimness of what they see and feel in the most honest and powerful way they can, creating a staggering and shattering catharsis for others and for themselves as well. Oriska is that last kind of band.
This collective is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, but with members dispersed across California, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Their lineup features former members of Battlefields (Init Records, Translation Loss), Dispensing of False Halos, and Sleeping in Gethsemane (Init Records).
Oriska‘s self-titled debut album is now set for release on November 15th by Mind Over Matter Records and Init Records. “Blackened post-metal” is a shorthand description of the album’s music, but like many succinct genre terms it leaves a lot to the imagination. Better to see what that really means in the context of a song, and today we have one for you. Entitled “Bismuth“, it’s the album’s centerpiece and a formidable basis for the thoughts we tried to express above.
“Bismuth” is a long song, and one that sounds both vast and isolated, crushing at many levels, as Oriska seek to capture both outer and inner worlds of devastating loss through the music’s unfolding.
Deep bowed tones mourn in the song’s opening, replaced by the coiled tension of abrasive riffing, soon joined by pulverizing percussive strikes. Shattering screams pour out despair as a guitar writhes and wails in pain. Jolting jackhammer blows, boiling fretwork, and avalanche-strength drumming further escalate the music’s daunting intensity, torquing the tension toward the breaking point as screams rip away at vocal chords.
The music’s massive lo-frequency power transforms into sounds of clawing and gouging, like an earth-mover grimly plowing through bedrock, intersected by a tradeoff between humongous pounding and bursts of blaring guitars. A piercing guitar solo lividly spirals upward and convulses in a burning fever, giving the song its own most striking fever pitch.
The music also collapses, banishing the rhythms and allowing the guitars to ring out in brittle and emotionally bruising tones above the droning low end, pulling us inward toward a lonely grief. Even when big booming beats intrude, the music’s feeling of grief persists and takes on different shades through the layering of multi-faceted instrumentation.
The power of the music swells again, heaving the earth and spearing the heavens, creating a massive and wrenching finale, bringing together many of the song’s most stirring and shattering ingredients, including the soul-stripping vocals.
Oriska gave us their own statement about the song:
“We’re thrilled to premiere our latest single, ‘Bismuth.’ This ten-minute post-metal journey delves deep into the abyss of despair, grief, and remorse. As the centerpiece of our self-titled debut album, ‘Bismuth‘ embodies a raw exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche.
“This monumental track sets the tone for an album that unfolds like a somber, unyielding tide. Each note and chord resonates with profound sorrow, crafting a haunting atmosphere of loss and introspection.”
Mind Over Matter Records and Init Records will release Oriska digitally as well as on limited edition cassette and vinyl LP. Pre-orders are available now (see the link below). The song “Bismuth” will be released as a single on streaming platforms on October 8th.
We also want to share the news that Oriska will be performing live throughout October, and we’ve got the tour dates for you after the links.
PRE-ORDER:
http://dthw.sh/oriska
ORISKA:
https://www.instagram.com/oriskaband
https://www.facebook.com/oriskamusic
https://lnk.bio/oriska
https://open.spotify.com/album/2oD6kJMgPaw0roQFsiVqE0
UPCOMING ORISKA SHOWS:
10-11 Minneapolis, MN @ Mortimer’s
10-12 Sioux Falls, SD @ Icon Lounge INIT FEST *”
10/13 Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records *
10/14 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive *
10/15 Salt Lake City, UT @ Beehive *
10/16 Boise, ID @ Shredder *
10/17 Portland, OR @ High Water Mark *
10/18 Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper ^
10/19 Twin Falls, ID @ Big Papas ^
10/20 Missoula, MT @ Monk’s ^
10/21 Bozeman, MT @ Labor Temple ^
10/22 Rapid City, SD @ Aby’s
10/23 Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
*w/ Aseethe
^ w/ Galvanist