The vastness of heavy metal cannot be overstated. With its many subgenres, and almost infinite supply
of bands, even someone who spends all their free time listening to everything they can get their hands
on will inevitably miss a few here and there. If you’re like me and you missed the boat on the French
technical death metal outfit, Gorod, now would be a good time to check them out.
Their latest effort, and 7 th full length album, The Orb, is as good of a place as any to start your dive into
their catalog. Gorod manages to blend so many genres of music into one cohesive album. Though they
are a technical death metal band, you can’t nail them down as just that. They seamlessly blend jazz,
funk, rock, and metal into one sound without leaning too hard into one direction.
The opening track, “Chrematheism,” perfectly sets you up for what is about to happen to your ears. It
gives you all the flavors of the album. It’s a blend of what you would want out of a veteran tech-death
band, but with new elements from more modern influences. It’s heavy, interesting, and has all the guitar
noodles you can fit in your bowl.
The rest of the album is intriguing from beginning to end. For a band with progressive metal leanings, I
never found myself lost or bored with any track, or part of a track. The movement from the first track to
the last is perfect with nothing sounding out of place. One of the things I appreciated the most was the
whole album has groove, thanks mostly in part to the bass and drums. While I was listening at my desk, I
often found myself bobbing my head a bit, then progressively I would start to move towards full on
headbanging, and back again.
The Orb is an album with a great diversity of sound. It harkens back to a time when technical death
metal was a little more accessible without sacrificing forward momentum, and with updated influences
and sounds. The album feels natural, not overproduced, and masterfully put together. Gorod takes their
time on this one. It is obvious they want you to hear every note and savor every track. If old school
technical death metal with a modern update and a progressive twist sounds intriguing to you, you are
going to want to hear this one.
The Orb releases on Friday, March 10 th , and be sure to catch them on tour beginning March 16 th . The
dates are below.
GOROD w/ Cognitive, Summoning The Lich, Flub:
3/16/2023 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
3/17/2023 Atlas – Washington, DC
3/18/2023 Black Forge – Pittsburgh, PA
3/19/2023 No Class – Cleveland, OH
3/20/2023 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
3/21/2023 Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
3/22/2023 X-ray – Cudahy, WI
3/23/2023 Zymurgy – Menomonie, WI
3/24/20231867 – Lincoln, NE
3/25/2023 Roxy Theater – Denver, CO
3/26/2023 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
3/27/2023 Shredder – Boise, ID
3/29/2023 The Big Dipper – Spokane, WA
3/30/2023 Funhouse – Seattle, WA
3/31/2023 High Water Mark – Portland, OR
4/01/2023 Old Ironsides – Sacramento, CA
4/02/2023 The X Bar – Cupertino, CA
4/03/2023 1720 – Los Angeles, CA
4/04/2023 The Underground – Mesa, AZ
4/06/2023 Tumbleroot – Santa Fe, NM
4/07/2023 Haltom Theater – Dallas, TX
4/08/2023 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
4/09/2023 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
4/10/2023 Downtown Music Hall – Pensacola, FL
4/11/2023 Crowbar – Tampa, FL
4/12/2023 The Haven – Orlando, FL
4/14/2023 Milestone – Charlotte, NC
4/15/2023 The Bike Shop – Richmond, VA
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Review by:Dan Perretta
