Orphans of Dusk – Spleen

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From Bandcamp, “ORPHANS OF DUSK opens their goth-doom gasket again, coming back to life to present “Spleen,” their haunting new album. “Spleen” picks up where “Revenant” left, immediately displaying a well-produced record and melodies that will immediately find its place in many gothic and doom music libraries. On “Spleen,” the band however chooses to focus less on the previous atmospheric death-doom elements, and more on the gothic vocals and guitar harmonies. As a result, “Spleen” hits like a stake through the heart – it is the band’s most mature offering to date, and one that should gather the world’s gothic-doom scene’s attention.” The album has eight songs.

“Welcome Back” is the first…a short intro of heavy bass, guitars, and drums, with some light vocals and backing effects. “Wasted Hero” is the first proper track. The music is slow and weighted, and the vocals are low hums. From there, the sound picks up and drops again a couple times. There is also a bit of melody in the song, though it is hard to find given the heavy tones in the music. “I’m Going to Haunt You (When I Die)” features a heavy and punishing sound but again, there are some nice melodies in the chorus, and the meter shifts a few times throughout the song. The chorus is quite catchy…something unusual for Doom.

“Aurora Australis” begins with light, dreamy atmosphere, and you can picture someone looking up at the clear skies at night, alone. It’s very peaceful. There is a good mixture of clean and harsh vocals from there, with more melodies. The title track is loaded with guitar effects. They help the sound to expand. “What is the measure of a man,” he wonders. The vocals are super-low and somewhat demonstrative at times, while the music shifts from major and minor chords, never fully committing to either. “Victim of a Vampire” is a sadder affair, as the title suggests. The held lead guitar notes really allow the pain to soak in, and the vocal harmonies are very expressive. “Magic Keys” is a short little instrumental, with ominous tones from the leads and the steady keys. It definitely has a magical sound.

“Falling Star” closes the album. The opening tones are bright and melodious. The expert shifting of the meter and the sound keeps the listener on their toes. Although the album is heavily steeped in the traditions of the founding fore fathers of Doom, the band also strikes out on their own, with a modern twist. The way they use melody, for example, is a welcomed addition to their brand of Doom, as is their use of keyboards at just the right time. This truly was a pleasure to listen to.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8