Published: April 28, 2015

Published: April 27, 2015

Are you feeling lost? Are you confused in this ever unfolding complexity of genres, sub-genres, influences and communities? I know I am. Sometimes, everything just feels so crazy. Half of these genres would have sounded absurd to me as I was growing up and getting to know metal. That’s why I often require grounding; some excellently made music but of a genre which I can instantly recognize and relate to. Enter Orphans of Dusk. R...

Published: April 26, 2015

If you mesh up the dreary sounds and atmosphere of Shape of Despair and align it with a Type O Negative-esque influence you will get this band, Orphans of Dusk. The band hails from New Zealand and Australia.  Some influences include of the two I mentioned earlier as well as bands like Swallow the Sun, Wood of Ypres, Paradise Lost.  If you're a fan of either of these bands chances are you will give Orphans of Dusk a chance.  I...

Published: March 19, 2015

In my review of Mesmur’s self-titled debut, I lamented the lack of death/doom in 2014. However, there were a few worthy entries in the genre last year, and one of the most exciting actually happened to be Mesmur-related. You see, their vocalist, Chris G, is also the voice in the Australia/New Zealand-based project, Orphans of Dusk, but you would never know it just from listening. While both bands work with shades of death and do...

Published: April 1, 2015

Orphans Of Dusk is a new gothic death/doom outfit with members residing in Australia and New Zealand and ‘Revenant’ is their first claim to fame. These guys are clearly no amateurs as the material sounds mature and well thought through. The songs on ‘Revenant’ are reminiscent of a whole slew of well-known bands such as My Dying Bride, Type O Negative, Katatonia and others. The use of both growls and gothic cleans keeps ...

Published: March 26, 2015

The debut EP of this New Zealand/Australian gothic-doom metal band has some elements from Type O Negative in its music. The self-released EP is out for some 6 months, but I wanted to review it anyway. Especially because they have now a deal with Hypnotic Dirge Records and Solitude Prod, that will release their debut internationally.

This EP shows us the many qualties of the trio. Growls are interpersed with vocal lines.There is muc...

Published: January 12, 2015

Looking for reasons to be cheerful this January? Then you’re very probably reading the wrong website. You might want to try typing ‘funny cats’ into You Tube instead. But if that prospect fills you with hatred for mankind then maybe you are in the right place after all. Because someone slipped in a bit of doom into the Ave Noctum postbag that has gloom written through it like a greying stick of Blackpool rock washed up on a...

Published: December 16, 2014

When it comes to death/doom, there’s often a tendency for bands to linger on the doomy side of things. There are some exceptions of course (Novembers Doom can write a real jackhammer of a song from time to time), but many forget to give the more aggressive elements their due. Not the case with the New Zealand/Australian band Orphans of Dusk.

Orphans of Dusk takes a dual approach to Revenant. On the one hand, you have more death meta...

Published: November 24, 2014

Some albums aren’t to our taste. Where as some, are just downright terrible. "Revenant", by Orphans of Dusk however, is the complete opposite. With the help of the added synth, as well as Chris G’s vocal style, the whole album is full of Gothic goodness, wrapped around in a load of doom. Released on small record label Bring Back The Riff, "Revenant" is one cracker of a debut album.

With the synth that leads us into “August Price�...

Published: October 1, 2014

'Revenant', the debut EP by Australian-New Zealand trio Orphans of Dusk, is a majestic cascade of chord-driven melodic Doom/Death metal that the listener can really get lost in…most of the time. Central to Orphans of Dusk's sound are the synth and bass guitar, both played by James Quested. Add to this singer Chris G's exquisite baritone, and the result is an EP that is undeniably memorable, if not fully refined. While about half of ...

Published: September 29, 2014

I do not normally bother myself with EPs. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with them; they can certainly tide you over during a long stretch between albums. For example, one of my favorite EPs is Metallica’s “Garage Days Re-Revisited” where the band bridged the gap between the Cliff Burton era and the Jason Newsted era. No, I mostly leave EPs alone because if they are good it feels like a bit of a tease when the...

Published: September 22, 2014

Bizarre as it may seem to have to constantly find the next band worth hearing in the death/doom sub-sect of metal, this is where we are in 2014. The mighty have fallen, or disappeared to a cabin, hidden in the remote parts of the forest. Whatever the reason, new life and new blood is always in need. Australia's Orphans Of Dusk, a two piece outfit, seem to come to the table with a healthy amount of sadness, and a great deal ...

Published: September 15, 2014

The great Pete Steele would definitely approve. Orphans Of Dusk, a band hailing from New Zealand and Australia, deliver enormous, powerful goth-doom riffs that are infused with both delight and derision. This is Type O Negative revisited, with a bit of rampaging death metal thrown in to add an energetic edginess to the gothic drama. It’s an interesting twist that raises this four-track EP from mere homage to something altogeth...