Orchid Throne has just blossomed.
Created by Maryland multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Bonsanto (Barren, Empress, Helianthus, Lör…), the project was born with a debut album called Buried in Black, which he released independently.
The man starts with Dreamworld and a piano that is as playful as it is melancholic, then imposing riffs join the softness to impose their heaviness, followed by dreamlike bursts of voice that live peacefully in the instrumental, soon haunted by a few more heart-wrenching screams. The length of the track allows it to take several forms, including a clear, refined and particularly soothing one that allows him to pause before letting the aggressiveness of the saturation darken the path again, ultimately corrupting it entirely and giving free rein to his furious Death Metal roots between two massive waves of Doom that give us hope for a semblance of respite. The contrasting but melodious mix continues until Ephemerality, which immediately envelops us in its haunting tones that give way to an intoxicating and minimalist tranquility where harmonics and bass coordinate to amaze us while the voice floats before everything is once again engulfed by violence, while maintaining a rather dreamy approach despite the furious rhythm. The two worlds collide and dance together until What Defines Us, where darkness resurfaces in a lively manner thanks to particularly playful leads that serve as a cradle for raw and visceral vocals that naturally adapt to the jerky pace of the composition, sometimes exploring very bright moments. Moonlight Revelry brings an almost ritualistic tribal touch with its percussion and wind instruments, then the rhythm changes again for a thicker touch, allowing the vocals to appear and take turns while leaving space for a guitar solo before a slower final that finally leads to Guilt. The track is strangely gentle, letting the harmonics resonate with the clear vocals on the first half, then the saturation returns to set the rhythm on fire, allowing the guitar to express itself again through transcendent leads before fading out once more, allowing for an ethereal finale before Breath of Autumn reveals acoustic Folk influences for a break that becomes increasingly mysterious. The interlude ends and gives way to the lengthy With Promise, which adopts Black Metal influences that naturally infiltrate the instrumental, but also the screams that reappear in this oppressive landscape, which takes advantage of a few slowdowns to let us catch our breath, then plunges us headfirst back into its darkness, only releasing us in the final moments of calm that mark the end of the album.
Although its creator is obviously not a first-time artist, Orchid Throne is a melancholic project that does not hesitate to adorn itself with violence to give substance to its message. Debut album Buried in Black is very promising.
90/100