Published: May 25, 2023

After several years of silence (the ep Revenant dates back to 2014) return Orphans of Dusk, band featuring Australian singer Chris G. who the most attentive will remember above all for his work with Mesmur; on this occasion, the sound on offer is decidedly more open than that of one of the leading funeral doom bands of this millennium, and from this follows the possibility of using different vocal ranges within a very balanced musical fabric, oscillating wisely and without excessive repercussions between solutions close to traditional gothic doom as well as the opposite, landing in territory not far from Type 0 Negative if not to the darker Sentenced, without forgetting a vague hint of Fear Factory in some parts with clean vocals. As a result, Spleen is a very varied work, with a good melodic impact and equally fluid and full of episodes with a good emotional impact; Chris G. confirms himself as an magnificent performer, in a trio in which the compositional and lyrical work is shared with guitarist and keyboardist James Quested, with the bass contribution of Mike Wilson, Mike Lamb’s partner in the excellent New Zealand band Lysythea. Considering that this is a work that is close to an hour in length, the Orphans of Dusk‘s intention to offer a series of tracks that are flowing but not ephemeral in consistency is positively surprising; precisely because it moves in an area that can legitimately be defined as gothic doom, the success of the operation of the Australian band emerges in the ability to escape the stereotypes as well as the frequent plasticization that afflicts this sub-genre in recent times, and the two opening tracks (net of the intro) Wasted Hero and I’m Going to Haunt You (When I Die) are the ideal viaticum for a very rewarding listening experience.