Review Summary: The lord giveth, and I taketh away.
Nashville, despite being the country music capital, has a flourishing hardcore/metalcore underground scene. Bands like Thirty Nights of Violence, A Dozen Black Roses, Hard Reset, Divisive, and recent break-outs, Chamber, pull huge local crowds for whatever bill they’re slapped on to, or for whatever show they play. Orthodox, though, is the most interesting band to come from that underground scene.
Let it Take its Course is a disturbingly heavy and uncomfortable experience full of horrifying nostalgia induced by nu-metal influence and tendencies that will attract listeners over and over again and assure that you sleep with one eye open.
We open with “Remorse”, a short track that introduces lead singer, Adam Easterling, and his unique sinister vocal delivery, spitting the words “Let it take its course.” These are words that are, obviously, omnipresent throughout the record, seemingly to incite the notion that whatever awful thing is about to be done can’t be stopped. Every line that Easterling speaks, sings, or sceams induces “Silence of the Lambs”-esque eerie terror. There is an underlying creepiness to everything in this album, and the vocals are the icing on the cake. Perhaps the most strange and uncomfortable moment on the record is track four, “Leave.” Most of the track is Easterling speaking the lines “You can’t leave. I won’t let you. No.” and “I bet you wish you could run.” over an unsettling mid-paced instrumental. The track closes with a breakdown that emits the feeling of being attacked by the narrator of the song. This isn’t the only time that this occurs. The end of the song “The Presence” features a similar breakdown and vibe preceded by lines throughout the track such as “When did I become the stranger standing in your window?” and “Don’t be confused, I’m here to do you harm.” Easterling bitingly speaks the titular words “let it take its course” before the breakdown drops.
Closing track, “Wrongs,” echoes lines we heard on the song “Cut.” The narrator (it isn’t clear if the album is supposed to be from the lyricist’s perspective or through a character of sorts) expresses the fact that they would do
anything for the person (presumed love interest) that they are talking to in the song, and how this scares them. Through those lines, this sentiment sums up the record fairly well as the consistent themes of wrongdoings and violent behavior come to a point in that closing track
Everything about
Let it Take its Course is exquisitely executed. The nu-metal influence completely avoids being overbearing or corny, and, in fact, adds a lot to the record. As mentioned before, the nostalgic element almost makes the record feel as though these songs are all memories or flashbacks due to PTSD in a way. It's a fascinating correlation that, whether intentional or not, works extremely well for the band and the album. The vocal delivery is perfect for the feeling that the band was clearly going for. Something that I have never before experienced in listening to an album is almost not wanting to come back to it despite enjoying it so much, but the record won’t let you forget that it exists. You will come back to it. It’s disturbing lyrics and overall uncomfortable feeling draws you in, so just sit back, and let it take its course.
