O, the doom. Orthodox release their eighth album, Proceed.

Spanish doom trio Orthodox always offer surprises in their music, I have come to understand. The band is Borja Díaz (drums), Ricardo Jiménez (guitar), and Marco Serrato (bass, vocals). In addition to the seven other full-length albums they have released over the years, there is also a list of EPs, splits, and other material that hold any number of wonders.

When you listen, at first it sounds like the album is going to be straight-up doom metal on “Past Seers,” but it doesn’t stay that way for long. The vocals stretch the ideas beyond presumed boundaries, and the composition flexes past any preconceived standard. The set continues with “Abendrot,” and begins to incorporate some experimental elements and lingering otherness that band has become known for over their career.

With “Rabid God” there are dark jazz looks and sidelines. Clinking percussion blinks in now and again, and the guitars foster clashes that unsettle any complacency that might be lurking. You can feel distress in the vocals, and the kind of pleading where no respite is actually expected. The heavy foot of doom clobbers you when you are not expecting it, and twists to push in postures that have been established.

The final two tracks are both long and involved. “The Son, The Sword, The Bread” stands sounds together that, on your own, you might not have thought of as musical combinations. When you hear them here as they have been arranged, they are a veritable symphony with a choir of one. “The Long Defeat” closes the presentation in what sounds to me like a solemn reckoning. The doom is mountain-sized, and it is joined in cosmic collision with other elements to form what I would call conclusions.

I was not very familiar with this band until I listened closely to Proceed, then went back to hear some of their earlier work. Their music is genuinely unique, and if you don’t know about Orthodox yet, the new record is a good way to find out what it is all about. Recommended.

Proceed is out through Alone Records now. Gather it up from your favorite vendor after investigating the info at the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://orthodoxband.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxband

Alone Records, https://alonerecordsshop.com/

© Wayne Edwards