Orochen - Anthroposcenic

Angry Metal Guy 50

More than any other sub-genre of metal, post-metal relies on weight. The long songs, the patient build-ups, the lack of typical song structure… these only work if there’s real momentum to guide them along. When you listen to the early pioneers of post-metal (Isis, Neurosis), their albums are experimental, but they’re also heavy as fuck. Even the bands that hew closer to the post-rock side of things (Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) maintain a certain density because nothing kills the “post-whatever” vibe more than inertia. Except perhaps progressive righteousness. Which brings us to Orochen. These Swedes, named after an ethnic minority group in Northern China, aim to achieve a more just and balanced society through their music. Now, this may gird the loins of some of the leftist-overlapping staff on AMG, but it also makes many readers click on the “Next review” tab faster than Emperor switches riffs. Is this one that everyone should hang around for?

Initial listens are a bit jarring. Orochen’s pairing of fairly shiny post-metal with extremely serious content about capitalism, the environment, and our very souls, seems off-kilter. What you soon realize is that this is intentional: the band is using beauty to highlight the extreme discontent they see. Most of the music is a blend of post-rock and post-metal, with generally clean vocals, a solid dab of that sadboi paste we all like, and pleasing, harmonic melodies. It’s disciplined (by post-metal metal standards), with no songs breaching the 6-minute mark. As a result, Anthroposcenic is focused and concise, never outstaying its welcome. This discipline makes for a collection that is always easy on the ear. But it comes at a cost.

Anthroposcenic by Orochen

The major issue with Anthroposcenic is that parts of it feel… weightless. This is surprising, given the memorable riffage (some of it pretty heavy), the underlying urgency of its message, and the solid songwriting. Part of the problem is the band’s unwillingness to take any real risks. Their politics may be progressive, but Orochen’s musical sensibilities are firmly rooted in what has come before. From the clean (somewhat uninspired) vocals, to the similar tempo throughout, to the telegraphed build-ups, this is risk-free material. But that also renders it weirdly sterile. It’s also—at 38 minutes—a bit on the short side and needs one or two more epic tracks to really immerse the listener. It sometimes feels like it ends before it really establishes its bona fides.

The plus side is that most of Anthoposcenic is very enjoyable, and easy on the ears. There are also some stand-out moments that highlight the band’s potential. When Orochen cut lose with real purpose, as on “Teeth of Glass,” there’s a sense of crunch and bite missing from too many of the other tracks. When the band goes the other extreme and explores its softer side, as on “Iron Gates,” it is beautifully moving, with an acoustic guitar intertwined with dense guitar work and thunderous bass. It’s a stunner, and tracks like this show that Orochen is most successful when playing outside the genre confines they’ve set themselves.

Anthroposcenic is an album that is easy to like, but doesn’t quite have enough oomph to make it one to love. If anything, the politics of the band are just a needless distraction because the music is so wrapped in metaphor, that unless you’re already on board with “the message,” it’s likely to just give you a cold as it flies over. The music has its moments, but is constrained by being too safe and clean. The result is a pleasant but weightless experience that may scratch your post-metal itch, but is unlikely to displace the meaty stuff from your playlist.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Suicide Records
Website: suiciderecordsswe.bandcamp.com/album/anthroposcenic | facebook.com/orochenmusic
Releases Worldwide: May 27th, 2022

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