Review: “The Decay” by Orchid’s Curse

“We are elated to finally be releasing The Decay to the masses. Writing for this EP started before the pandemic and we are glad the time to release it is finally here. One positive is that with the shutdowns we had a lot of extra time to spend refining these songs to ensure it was most mature and competent release to date. We really wanted to ensure THE DECAY picked up where our last few releases left off. With each new record we always try to continue to progress and up the ante musically and artistically. We all feel really confident in these songs and this release as a whole. Although the release was delayed longer than we had hoped, we are happy that the time is finally here” ~ Orchid’s Curse

Five years after their 2018 album “Graveyard of the Gulf” smashed the clock in fear, Halifax Nova Scotia based five piece return with “The Decay“, the culmination of eighteen years spent in rehearsal rooms and on stages with everyone from The Black Dahlia Murder to Misery Index and from Cancer Bats to F*** The Facts. Lyrically while not officially a concept release, the EP looks at the continued to decline and decay of our modern society through bloodshot eyes…

A lo-fi programmed build into a 2003 era Metalcore riff brings the record to life with “Better Men“, odd time signatures from drummer Alex Wrathell adding an avant-garde quality to what would otherwise be a straight forward nostalgic affair that has all the charm of the work that inspired the genre from the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound. A rich piece of lead masquerading as a solo adds warmth and texture to the piece before a solid breakdown brings things home. A thinkers track lyrically, it takes a look at a history of misogyny with Unearth vibes thanks to vocalist Josh Hogan’s style being reminiscent of Trevor Phipps. Taking a leaf from the book of Buffalo New Yorkers It Dies Today, “Dead Idols” maintains the weight and momentum of these tracks with aplomb, once again offering Melodic Death Thrash with instantly gratifying appeal to connoisseurs of the genre. It’s clear that the fires still burn in the hearts of the five piece and they have plenty to rage upon in furious fashion and going in deep this looks at those who are idolized without having done anything to deserve it. A fatal flaw in modern society some might say and the intelligence of those lyrics is something to be admired. Packing a little more Groove “The Divergence of Man” is a look at how apathetic people are in the modern age, the chunky bassline from Jason Szeto allowing the other musicians to experiment a little more and introduce some Sludge Metal moments with the skull battering riffs. The circle pit inducing “Divided by Everything” then floods the eardrums with 180 seconds of pure Thrash as it flies off the hook, short and to the point like a poison dwarf armed with an axe. The soloing is majestic, the charm glorious and the next result something which you’ll come back to the record for time and again. A scalding look at the commercialism behind religious institutions, “Pay to Prey” is an absolute masterclass in musicianship and arguably the band at their most mature. A dark and atmospheric piece adorned with a wax seal, it punches harder than the earlier cuts with timeless quality and sublime leads, the thunderous percussive battery behind it ensuring that it hits like deep impact [7.5/10]

1. Better Men
2. Dead Idols
3. The Divergence of Man
4. Divided by Everything
5. Pay to Prey

“The Decay” by Orchid’s Curse is out 16th June 2023 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.