Review: “Ostracism” by Orbstruct

“Ostracism was meant to be a manifesto of our solitude, which we wanted to offer as a gift and the best chance for each person to truly know themselves. But as we dove deeper into our own minds, we came across images we weren’t ready for. Under pressure from outside forces we couldn’t control, we couldn’t see a way back from this nightmare, so we were forced to fight our way out through paths that completely shattered how we saw reality and ourselves. In the end Ostracism became a scream of our despair, from which we no longer expect a reply, but we still hope we’re not alone in this emptiness, and that our cry will be heard.” ~ Orbstruct

On the shelf of the store Patrick Bateman attends to return his videos, between the long awaited and highly anticipated categories rests “Ostracism” by Orbstruct. A Ukrainian Extreme Metal act who love nothing more than painting portraits in Blackened Death Metal of varying shades who currently reside in Poland, the band have been on our radar since 2019’s well received debut “Phobos Rising“. Specializing in lyrical narratives of agnosticism, atheism alongside the improvement and development of ones self makes them an interesting proposition, especially as they pay great attention to grim and oppressive atmospherics with their music…

Orbstruct comment: “HIVE is the roar of countless voices, all blending into one, urging you to become a single mind and a unified body, to transform and be reborn into something new. It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid or if you truly desire this change. What truly counts is your final choice. Will you stay true to yourself on this journey, facing it alone as you seek enlightenment, even if it means risking your sanity? Or will you give up right away, guaranteeing you reach the end, but never truly experiencing or understanding it?”

An eerie fifty second piece that sounds like something out of the latest science fiction horror movie “Gathering the Seeds of Own Suffering” sets the tone for the album in ominous fashion before “Hive” opens up the arteries, the band opting for a moment of silence rather than a fade between the two. For anyone who has not heard anything from Orbstruct previously then Blood curdling vocals and weighty old school riffs are the minimum requirement and this mid-tempo piece of raging fury delivers them in venomous waves. A tasty piece of whammy bar action adds a scorching moment to break up the oppressive atmosphere just a little and you can’t help but get drawn into by this sinister offering. Influences from the 90’s Florida Death Metal scene are in abundance with title track “Ostracism“, a punishing beast plenty of bends to augment the weighty grooves. A clean and crisp drum sound echoes that so rather than being thunderous, which gives the feel of a record like “Chaos A.D.” from Sepultura. The soloing is magnificent because its tasteful and in keeping with its surroundings rather than being big and needlessly virtuoso and that creepy spoken word moment? Damn that’s evil.

Another haunting, eerie moment introduces “Ice Insulation” as if cut from Kurt Russell’s The Thing, the slow burning flames of the riffs rising from the abyss before it reaches collision speed with blast beats and savage, throat splitting vocals. Some shriller moments underpin the death growls to great effect, the band focusing on the cold bleak atmospheres usually more prominent in Black Metal on this one. Sending a chill down the spine the introduction to “Sunflowers on Our Fields” is cut from the same cloth as its predecessors and perhaps will be used as a moment to towel down before bursting into the song when played live. The track itself is a call for a mosh pit with slick groove laden riffs to which fleeting leads add a nice sheen. Growing in stature as it plays out this heavy hitter is an understated powerhouse moment that places the band on a trajectory for a collision course with the genre big guns while at the same time refusing to sell their soul in doing so. Moving further into Death Groove territory “Hate Us” has yet more intricate drum patterns as the rhythmic section deliver a beating, the warped sonic abrasion of the solo a space age moment that burns like wire. What’s fantastic about this is the hum-able ear worm of a melody which is impossible to get out of your head once it gets in there.

Orbstruct comment: “‘Only You and I’ is the voice of a legacy — one we’re all sowing together. And already, we begin to regret it deeply, to mourn bitterly as we reap its consequences. It’s a haunting reflection, a warning wrapped in melody. The song doesn’t point fingers, but it does hold up a mirror. And what we see in it… is hard to face.”

Melancholic chord progressions call from the void as “Fakel Vynny” (or “Blame the Torch“) begins, subtle tempo changes making all the difference as the band grind the corpses of their enemies into the dirt with the crushing power of the caterpillar tracks of a tank. This time out the soaring solo is a chink of light through the black clouds, injecting a vibrant bright melody alongside another tasteful spoken word before setting up a brutal finale of demonic plague proportions. If you thought that “RIP” might be a doom laden funeral procession, then guess again because Orbstruct have other ideas, offering up pick slides and old school grooves to delight with plenty of furious aggression. There are even a few hitherto unheard bowl clenching lows in the harsh death growled vocals that threaten to spill into Slam Metal territory but don’t quite reach that point. Tribal rhythms make way for restless and relentless blasting as mirror shatters into a thousand pieces with “Only You and I“, the driving Death Metal riffs causing the fret-boards to smolder with their dark energy. Once again moving into the realm of the blackened, the brooding nature of this beast makes it one of abject horror, the question is, will anyone survive? [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Gathering the Seeds of Own Suffering
2. Hive
3. Ostracism
4. Ice Insulation
5. Sunflowers on Our Fields
6. Hate Us
7. Fakel Vynny
8. RIP
9. Only You and I

“Ostracism” by Orbstruct is out 3rd October 2025 via Paragon Records and is available over at bandcamp