Review: “A Door Left Open” by Orthodox

Returning to the tried, tested and true, it comes as no surprise that Nashville Tennessee Nu-Metalcore act Orthodox chose Randy LeBoeuf (Jesus Piece, Kublai Khan, Dying Wish) to produce their fourth album “A Door Left Open”. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it as they say and given how well their Century Media debut “Learning To Dissolve” was received, its an obvious choice. What has changed in the three years between the records is the bands line up with second guitarist Ben Touchberry joining the band in the studio for the first time, having played with the band live since 2023. Having made their name with fervent and visceral live shows that build a sense of tension and unease, the promise is of a fusion of chaotic rhythms, pushed-to-the-breaking-point riffing and explosively emotive vocals…

…and that’s exactly what blistering opening cut “Can You Save Me?” is in a nutshell. The blood spitting vocals from Adam Easterling as he asks “do you hear me? do you fear me?” will make for a sing-a-long moment live, the sheer intensity the track a slap in the face of a wake up call. What makes it work as a tone setter is the rise and fall of the tempo between the verses, which is kind of like the revving of an engine as the band are getting warmed up. Staccato riff breaks reach and touch the void into Deathcore as “Body Chalk” hits home, a 68 second punishment beating with the gang chant of “dead on impact!” a Chef’s Kiss moment. The menacing and sinister vibes continue with “Dread Weight” as the guitars chug and Easterling roars, the Metallic Hardcore string skipping accompanied by a few bends to add a little panaché. Raw and abrasive, each cut is clearly designed to incite mosh pit violence, something that becomes more and more apparent with each short, sharp burst of violent rage that the band throw out. Make no mistake, they’re out for blood. “Blend In With The Weak” is the first of three cuts to feature a guest vocalist, this one seeing Matt McDougal of Boundaries lending his throat, the thunderous percussion as clean and crisp as the guitars are satisfying crunchy. There is an argument that LeBoeuf has given Orthadox a very Kublai Khan inspired sound but there is equally no hiding from the fact that Orthadox have grown heavier over time. Gang chanted vocal moments and Deathcore inspired vocal growls on this one are sublime, wave after wave of non stop riffage keeping us warm this winter.

Soaked in feedback “Godless Grace” rises from the abyss like a beast, pitch harmonics wrapped in chaotic rhythms keeping the bodies on ice while Easterling’s fiery vocals burn through the lyric sheet. It has to be said that his vocal powers seem to have reached a new level of power with this record and if you close your eyes you can picture him as Jack Nicholson in The Shinning. That’s because stylistically he’s nailed that urgent aggression with a sinister and menacing edge and by the time “Keep Your Blessings” rolls up, there is no place to hide. Turbulent staccato riff breaks bring the neck snapping blood and thunder, a drum solo from Mike White making way for muscular chugs before an almost DJent style Progressive Metal infused bitter end goes down a storm. What the band have done superbly well is capture their live energy like lightening in a bottle in the studio, the scorching “Sacred Place” as incendiary as they come. That one absolutely slaps, the mid cut almost spoken word moment gripping before the thunderous conclusion. Resurrecting the 1999 era of Slipknot but with more thrills and spills “Step Inside“, refuses to choke on the insanity as the lyrical title track and instead decimates the weak with the bands brutal rhythmic pummelling prowess. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, if you’re not screaming along to these lyrics by the second spin, you need to go and see a doctor and get your head examined. It’s that kind of record.

Easterling sounds like he burst a blood vessel during a gang chant of “WHAT THE FU*K?!?” as “One Less Body” kicks into gear, the caustic abrasions slowing for something more akin to an occult ritual than anything else. Ethereal clean vocals from Brann Dailor of Mastodon feel like they’ve been inspired by Maynard James Keenan from Tool and when you add almost tribal drum fills and a melodic bass passage this one feels like an experiment in the right direction. Normal service is resumed with “Searching For A Pulse“, a bombastic Metallic Hardcore cut with a couple of two step moments in amongst mosh pit friendly chugs. Fleeting leads are a nice touch, as is the crushing Vein.fm inspired breakdown so grinning like a Cheshire Cat by this point you probably want to stop here. One of the most recognisable voices in Hardcore is Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid and when he joins Easterling on “Commit To Consequence” you know its going to be a banger. Those Kublai Khan inspired pitch harmonics are back and sound great, as does a momentary industrial spill before the weighty chugs of the finale which bleed into “Will You Hate Me?” with deep and meaningful question. A raw and punchy first half makes way for a Post-Hardcore style bridge of spoken word poetry against ethereal guitars painting in rich melody before the sonic abrasions return, the ache in Easterling’s voice mesmerising [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Can You Save Me?
2. Body Chalk
3. Dread Weight
4. Blend In With The Weak (ft. Matt McDougal of Boundaries)
5. Godless Grace
6. Keep Your Blessings
7. Sacred Place
8. Step Inside
9. One Less Body (ft. Brann Dailor of Mastodon)
10. Searching For A Pulse
11. Commit To Consequence (ft. Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid)
12. Will You Hate Me?

“A Door Left Open” by Orthodox is out 6th June 2025 via Century Media