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ORCHID
The Mouths Of Madness

Nuclear Blast (2013)
Rating: 6.5/10

I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about reviewing The Mouths Of Madness, the second full-length opus from San Francisco doom metallers Orchid. The reason for my caution in reviewing this nine-tracker is the fact that so many doom bands have emerged over the last decade or so, and most of them have simply tried to ape that classic Black Sabbath sound and imagery.

For me, this style of imitation had all been done before with the more sincere, yet creaky sounds of Pentagram, Count Raven, Witchfinder General etc., and I’ve found myself literally dozing off to albums written by all these stoner types who’ve made an entire career out of writing songs with the word “wizard” in the title.

And so, I stepped into the ill-lit corners and gave Orchid’s new opus a spin and I’m delighted to say that it’s not the droll doom affair I was expecting, although there are many parts which have literally been plucked from the Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) back catalogue.

For those not in the know, Orchid is a four-piece fronted by vocalist Theo Mindell, whilst his sinister, sleepy side-kicks are guitarist Mark Thomas Baker, bassist Keith Nickell and drummer Carter Kennedy.

I have to admit I wasn’t a big fan of their 2011 full-length debut opus Capricorn, nor the two EPs – Heretic (2012) and Wizard Of War (2013) – that followed, but The Mouths Of Madness is a more rewarding, if somewhat predictable experience that is built upon that strong Black Sabbath influence which is constructed on those Iommi-style leads / riffs and vintage structures. Mindell is a half-decent vocalist but his banshee moan does nothing to set itself aside from the countless other demonic spawns of Ozzy Osbourne.

For the most part, The Mouths Of Madness sounds like a record that has come to fruition after too many nights of the band listening to classic Black Sabbath albums such as Paranoid (1970) and Master Of Reality (1971), so you know what you’re getting here, but thankfully it’s not the slow, fuzzy noise that so many so-called doom bands have been churning out over the last few, bong-sucked years.

The title track drifts on a riff that sounds as if it’s been lifted from Black Sabbath’s mighty Sabotage (1975). ‘Marching Dogs Of War’ is a mid-paced, oaken ode to just about every Sabbath song ever recorded, and ‘Silent One’, with its creeping bass intro, has the same sombre feel, harbouring formulaic rainy riffs and jazzed up drum structures.

I’m sure many who hear this opus will disagree with my opinion, but the facts are that Orchid are nothing out of the ordinary; such is the Black Sabbath influence that it’s difficult to take the band seriously. I’d rather slap on the far superior Sabbath records than sit through another tired batch of songs that are lesser versions of those original classics.

The structures here, on literally every track, are so predictable, whether in the form of the lumbering ‘Mountains Of Steel’ or the more upbeat, sprightly groove of ‘Leaving It All Behind’. However, it seems that at any minute I’m expecting the sullen wails of Ozzy to come out of the speakers.

Now Cathedral have dissolved, the doom metal genre is unable to produce anything remotely original – long gone are the days when Candlemass and the like told tales of elegant woe. And, as ‘Wizard Of War’ chugs into motion with its throw-back dreariness I’m suddenly cringing with frustration.

Despite my moans and groans, Orchid is one of the better bands who are part of this classic rock revival fad, but I hope that like so many other annoying trends before it, this revival rock trend doesn’t last too long because there are only so many Black Sabbath imitators I can stand.

Neil Arnold

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