Review: Orbstruct “Deimos Falling” [Envenomed Music / Paragon Records]

In the end of September of 2021 the Ukrainian young death metal formation Orbstruct has released its sophomore full-length album Deimos Falling through local Envenomed Music together with Paragon Records. And within it they continued to spread their solid old school death metal, too classical for any other titles, but still with a couple of surprises.

Orbstruct consists of well-experienced and seasoned members, known from the bunch of local metal and core bands, so no wonder that their music doesn’t sound like a passionate crude fan project. The music is integral with the all canonic death metal traditions and clichés. So, the classical approach is absolutely appropriate in their case, but their flirtations with modern and groovy sound equalizes the traditional rigidness towards new horizons. And the Moons of the Mars symbolically describe all the shifts (from rise to fall) of their straightforward music, or are those one of the creepiest Greek mythological creatures who are leading their music through the darkest paths of metal? Whatever, these guys know how to play death metal.

Beginning with cinematic-inspired intro “Soar between Horror and War” fitted for indie horror movies, “Deimos Falling” blasts with very classical and painfully slow death metal with primitive guitar riffs and predictable melodies. Technical level is fine, but there is no even a hint of progressivity, so we can forget about refined prog miracles or experimental and unexpected moves. Sometimes there is a feeling that you just listen to some kind of rougher version of heavy metal, but with lower guitars and extreme vocals (especially audible in compositions like “H.M.F.H.T.F.” or “Under the Rays of Gory Sun”). Despite the fact that Orbstruct doesn’t mess with over-layered structural patterns, the sound is a little bit too raw to enjoy their efforts for a clear-cut order. Groovy sound of “Outcast” is just a beginning, their penultimate track “Reaper’s Path” is almost an excellent ode to southern sludge with some speedy reprieves. These fast paces are a rare phenomenon on this record, as well as melodic lines, mostly recognizable on tracks “Under the Rays of Gory Sun” and “Mercury Turn”. But apart from all these additional elements, we have almost forty minutes of old school death metal, like a solid punch in the face.

These Ukrainians prefer to focus on philosophical topics, gory and brutal lyrics aren’t for them, that’s for sure, so it is hardly surprising that the cover art is a symbolical reference to our planet’s path between self-improvement and self-degradation. And due to these covert links to rational metaphysical themes, their primitive kind of death metal sounds much much smarter.

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