Customer Reviews

Ov

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Someone had to eventually do it: take the basic format of minimalist composition and completely recontextualize it in an alien environment: loud rock music. On this album, former Crom Tech avant-thrashers Orthrelm do the impossible. They make an album that manages to be completely abstract and minimalist in composition (absolutely no memorable melody here folks, only repetition and angular guitar shredding), yet they accomplish this perverse form of minimalism within the pre-existing template of a hardcore/metal band.

Its seemingly contradictory, playing minimalism in a style that is known for melody and/or emotional intensity, but OV pulls it off which is why this is so remarkable. The album avoids being painfully academic like a lot of avant-garde music, yet at the same time it is completely orignial and innovative. One should note that this album is purely conceptual, its not one that you're going to listen to all the time and it will hardly reward the listener emotionaly. It is however something truly innovative and amazing. It is exhaustingly postmodern, playing avant music in a familar style. This will probably be the first and only example populist minimalism, and for that it should be praised.

When I first listened to this album, I was expecting to be bored in a few minutes. Instead, I listened to the entire thing straight through - it's that compelling.

Orthrelm take all the sound and fury of metal and couple it to a highly repetitive, minimalist aesthetic somewhat reminiscent of Philip Glass or Steve Reich's classical music. This is a fairly unique concept - I, for one, have never heard anything much like this album. It's wildly different from slow-building, strung-out 'stoner rock' like Earth or Sunn O))), as it moves suddenly between series of repeated, intense figures (call them riffs, I guess) that are played at blinding speed. Though a single riff can repeat for a while - up to six or seven minutes - it hardly ever gets old: each is complex enough to withstand that sort of repetition. Of course, there is slight variation in the way each riff is played, as well.

The guitar and drumming is insane - its speed and precision over such an extended period is unbelievable.

This album is certainly not for everyone. However, I wouldn't say you have to be a metal fan to appreciate it (my own knowledge of metal is quite limited). It's good to have some background in experimental or minimalist music, though - a tolerance for dissonance and a willingness to listen closely.

For approximately 46 minutes, the duo of guitarist Mick Barr and drummer Josh Blair manage to approach minimalism with OV by only these two instruments. The result sounds cool... for about a minute.

I won't lie, I checked this out because I'm a sucker for noodly stuff like Behold... The Arctopus and PsyOpus, but OV pushes it too far. The guitars repeat themselves for minutes throughout, using that guitar tone throughout. There are rarely any changes to rhythm or pitch, and it's easy to just fast forward through it for another chord that lasts for 5 minutes. There is no doubt that the members of Orthrelm are excellent musicians that can play fast, but that's it.

Maybe I'm missing something, but this is an album with an interesting concept that fails to completely satisfy. The minimalist concept is what kills it; there is nothing wrong with being minimalist if you can pull it off superbly, but with barely any alterations in the rhythm, it's just pointless.

If you are new to the likes of Mick Barr's guitar work, I would start off with any of the Krallice albums instead. If you want this style of music minus the minimalism, I'd check out Behold... the Arctopus' works instead. However, if you feel like you're up for a musical challenge, here you go.

1st time I heard it, I'm thinkin "Holy **** that's INSANE!" it keeps going and going and going. Minimalist is right, a shredtastic cacophony of seemingly endless mindwasting insanity. I love musical experimentation like this, and I think my neighbors love it even more than I do. Don't waste another second, BUY BUY BUY and spread the love!
|m|

A listening marathon for many but I find this piece calming and energizing. Good for helping organize a cluttered or anxious mind.

As other reviews here and elsewhere suggest, this is thrash metal as minimalism; very fast, very repetitive, not big on dynamics, and one of the more extreme pieces of music you're likely to find. So, there's not much new I can say. If you like minimalism, and you like metal, and you like challenging, cerebral music, you'll probably like this. If you don't fit those descriptions, there's a good chance you'll hate it.

if you appreciate music theory and craftmanship, you will appreciate orthrelm. i have never listened to something so creatively and technically intimidating. everything about this album (as well as other past albums) makes me question my choice to pick up the guitar as a hobby. what is the point, if this already exists?

Following the roots through Mick Barr's project output (as a founding member of Crom-tech, presently as the guitarist and conceptualist propelling Orthrelm), this album bears stunning dissimilarity in reference to what the novice might consider the "formulae" of his album's tracks: e.g. abrupt stops and go, impregnated pauses, frequent phrase changes within temporally-concise encapsulations.

_Ov_ arrived in the format of one 45-minute track, which is one aspect of its stylistic departure from previous releases. The album has been characterised by reviewers as a difficult listen. _Ov_ challenges preconceptions of song-writing and structure in a way that is consistent with many of the world's great works of art. It will reward an attentive and persistent audience with a kaleidoscopic listening experience.

Anyone who appreciates what Orthrelm's Josh Blair and Mick Barr do owes it to themselves to experience this album. To anyone who is remotely interested in the evolution of Orthlem's incredible music, I would recommend this album.

If you're a fan of Orthrelm's earlier work, be forewarned: 'OV' is the antithesis of everything that came before it. This stuff is about as minimalistic and anti-progressive as it gets. There is something to be said for musical expansion or "branching out", but this one left me frustrated and a bit dumbfounded. Proceed at your own risk.

This entire album reminds me of the world's longest and most annoying car alarm, thus I award it one star -- unless you are looking for a replacement for your current car alarm, in which case, FIVE STARS.