The balance of heavy groove and melody is noticeable as well, with the finale of “In War” ending the charge with galloping riffs but not forgetting to layer in the melodies shared by synths and guitars. Some other noteworthy cuts include the gleefully In Flames-ish feeling of the melodies that take front-and-center in “The Umbilical Cord,” the slower and atmospheric “The Haste to the Pyre,” and punishing mid-tempo thrashing of the title track. The second track, “Sun of All,” introduces another melodeath staple with acoustic moments that lead into some atmospheric synths but again, interestingly done. It’s hard to truly pinpoint why, but they work quite well and don’t come across as being the overtly commercial type (the growls ain’t bad either). You are first introduced to them in the opener “Svartport,” and they have a breath of fresh air about them. One surprisingly strong feature of the album are the clean vocals. Identifiably Swedish melodeath from the start, they do work their magic to ensure the album still feels fresh. Only up and running since 2014, the Swedes of Orbit Culture do their best to avoid sounding derivative on their debut.

No matter how much melodic death metal you hear (much like metal as a whole), there’s always one new band to find that is kicking out the good stuff. Since you are here at DR, we’re going to assume that you are among the former rather than the latter. Four words that have a relatively 50/50 chance of making you grin ear to ear or groan.

Orbit culture