Review Summary: Black Sabbath - Vol. 4.1
Orchid is an American Doom/Classic Metal band, formed in 2007, who took their name from the Black Sabbath instrumental of the same name. It won’t be very surprising then what their general sound is like. Their sophomore effort and debut at Nuclear Blast, 2013’s The Mouths of Madness, is no exception to this. On the contrary: this album sounds so much like Black Sabbath, that it could be mistaken as a compilation album of previously unreleased tracks from their glory days with Ozzy, albeit performed by another band. Vocalist Theo Mindell sings in a similarly eerie fashion as the prince of darkness himself (although his singing chops are quite superior to those of Ozzy). Mark Thomas Bakers’ guitar parts have the same grinding and doomy feel to them, combined with octave-up single note overdubs on top of some of the rhythm parts, completed with airy and atmospheric lead playing. Last but not least: the drums and bass provide the same jazzy, jam-like foundation that made the early Sabbath records so great. Even the production sounds extremely accurate, and given that Rick Rubin (with his signature overly dry and compressed style) screwed this part up royally on Black Sabbath’s 13, this record perhaps sounds more like Black Sabbath than the latest release of the lords of doom themselves.
Their almost exact copying of Black Sabbath’s sound works in two ways for Orchid’s “The Mouths of Madness”. On the one hand, the grandfathers of Metal’s early records still rank among the best in the genre, and as such, getting more of that stuff is simply very pleasant indeed. In a way, even though it’s a copy in a lot of ways, the dynamic and airy sound that Orchid adopted from their musical mentors is very refreshing to listen to, given that in current metal releases ultra hi-gain and large amounts of compression have become the norm. On the other hand however, this clearly does not gain the band any points in originality. While music can be perfectly enjoyable and good without it being unique and original per se, these guys take the “inspired by”-approach just a little too far, almost up to the point of downright copying. Orchid takes it too such extremes that some of the songs on this album sound very reminiscent at times of actual Black Sabbath songs, which comes across as silly and even becomes annoying after a while. The intro of “The Silent One” sounds very much like “Into The Void” (from Master of Reality), “Mountains of Steel” feels extremely similar to “A National Acrobat” (from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath), while the verse of “Loving Hand of God” is very reminiscent of that of “Warning” (from Black Sabbath).
As for the quality of this album, regardless of whether or not it sounds too much like Black Sabbath, there is little need to go into great detail. All the songs follow a similar approach in sound, and this general consistency in style is matched by an equal consistency in quality, which is to say: good. This album is very enjoyable to listen to all the way through, but while there aren’t any obvious bad songs (or even mediocre ones), there aren’t any real high points either. In other words: you will find a “St. Vitus Dance”, a “Wheels of Confusion” and a “Hole in the Sky” on this record. Just don’t expect new classics like “Iron Man” or “Children of the Grave”.
All in All, “The Mouths of Madness” is an overall solid record that provides a pleasant and consistent listen from beginning to end. It’s only major flaw is the sometimes blatant copying of Black Sabbath’s style. Orchid seems like a very promising and talented band however, and might achieve great things in the future if they manage to find a sound that is just a little more their own.
Personnel:
Theo Mindell - vocals, synthesizer, percussion
Mark Thomas Baker - guitars
Keith Nickel - bass guitar
Carter Kennedy - drums
Will Storkson – Producer and additional keyboards, synthesizer and percussion
