Metalcatto
It’s time for a debut, and judging by the artwork, I should have some expectations. ORDH is a strange name for a band that is planning to send us to hell and back. Blind In Abyssal Realms is supposed to be everything you want from a Prog/Tech/Death Metal experience. Yet, the band is still new in town, so we still need to give it a baptism of fire. Join me, and hopefully you won’t be more disappointed than the last time your vinyl order was indefinitely delayed.
Oh wow. These guys are playing no games. Blind goes right in and destroys all hopes you have of protecting your neck from permanent injury. If that’s not a compliment, I don’t know what else to say. The album is a real technical and Prog adventure that never slows down in its brutality and complexity. There’s some Demilich here, but also moments of Opeth or Immolation woven into the fabric. It’s a rather idiosyncratic mix for sure, but it works more often than it doesn’t. The shifts between influences feel natural, not like a patchwork of borrowed ideas.
The guitar and vocals are the standouts for me. They give next to no breaks and create this dreamy, almost hypnotic atmosphere that makes me think of what Dream Unending would sound like if they decided to take things faster and meaner. It’s rare to find a band capable of delivering this level of energy and aggression while still delving into a more contemplative state. There are only five tracks on Blind In Abyssal Realms, but they squeeze every second they can out of you. Nothing feels rushed, but nothing overstays its welcome either.
My only real quarrel with this album is the production. It’s too dirty. Let me explain. ORDH is throwing so much good material at you, but the drums and overall mix feel muddy. Everything loses a bit of density and punch when it has that particular production style. I can understand that it gives the album a vintage, crusty Death Metal vibe, but do we even need that when the songwriting is this interesting? The riffs deserve clarity. The bass deserves to be heard. As it stands, the muddiness holds back what could be a truly devastating record.
Aside from that, the rest of this thing slays harder than free candy at a convention. Yes, I’m impressed by ORDH, even if I’m not sure I can fully get behind some of the production decisions. It certainly invokes that Sadist spirit that I always welcome around here. For now, the band can settle with potentially reaching our Revelations of the Year list this December. I don’t think that’s bad at all for a debut. Not bad at all.
Label: Pulverised Records
Release date: April 17th, 2026
Website: https://ordh.bandcamp.com/album/blind…
Country: USA
Score: 3.7/5.0
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