Band:	Gorod
Album:	The Orb
Style:	Technical death metal
Release date:	March 2023

01. Chrematheism
02. We Are The Sun Gods
03. The Orb
04. Savitri
05. Breeding Silence
06. Victory
07. Waltz Of Shades
08. Scale Of Sorrows
09. Strange Days

Technical death metal doesn't always have to be such a complex genre, you know? Gorod demonstrates with The Orb how it can be as equally groovy and exciting as it is technical and complex.

In a long line of modern-day technical death metal bands, Gorod stand out as genuine masters of the fine craft; you could even argue that they're up there with the likes of Obscura, Beyond Creation and Quo Vadis. What's amazing though about these French technical death metal wizards is their level of consistency to produce top-quality albums one after the other, and The Orb is no exception in their solid discography. This is the French five-piece tech-death masters' seventh release, following the highly impressive Æthra, and yet again they strike that perfect balance between creating solid groovy melodies that keep you hooked, with complex and speedy rhythmic song structures that are also easy to follow; they even manage to bring a light-hearted sense of humour to the package as well (referring to that "Strange Days" The Doors cover).

The musicianship here is a showcase of incredible technicality; each member performs down to a tee, from the furiously technical duelling guitar work of Pascal and Alberny, to the pounding rhythmic drumming of Diers, and from Claus's exceptional bass work to Deyres's frantically energetic growls, hardcore screams, and blackened shrieks, with each vocal style complementing the instrumentation where necessary. Of all the elements featured, it's the highly impressive guitar work that stands out above all, as Pascal and Alberny relentlessly jam back and forth between each other, providing an endless supply of speedy melodic riffs, with each riff different from one to the next; this goes hand-in-hand with the unpredictability provided by the talented rhythm section of Diers (drums) and Claus's (bass), where regular tempo changes keep you guessing, never becoming repetitive or uninteresting for a moment. It still baffles me how bands like Gorod manage to keep such a flow of this ferocity, while never falling short of ideas for a new riff or a beat along the way.

The theme behind The Orb takes inspiration from the dystopian novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which reflects the band's stylistic approach. However, the songwriting doesn't necessarily reflect a particular concept that the album follows, as each song has its very own structural identity and lyrical approach; at the same time, musically there is no disruption whatsoever in the flow, so you will hardly even notice the album has a theme in the first place. Take the closing The Doors cover "Strange Days"; as covers go, it's enjoyable, but it doesn't follow a theme of any kind. The track could well have been an added bonus, as it seems way out of place from the rest of the album.

Now, I mentioned each track having its own identity and structure; well, there is certainly a variety of mixes and styles present, from the groovy Latin-inspired rhythms on the tracks "We Are The Sun Gods" and the ultra-cool rhythmic "Breeding Silence", through to other highlights, including the heavy tremolo-based opener "Chrematheism" and catchy (possibly most easily accessible) title track "The Orb".

If you're a nerdy fan of tech death into the likes of ultra-fast melodic and technical bands such as Beyond Creation, Quo Vadis, Obscura, and Necrophagist, then I highly recommend you check Gorod out at once if you haven't already. I promise you The Orb will be one of this year's best releases in this overwhelming genre; it's tech-death that any metal head can enjoy, despite whether you're a genre fan or not.