If you're a follower of the South Asian metal scene, chances are that you've already heard of the band Orion. I remember last year, Orion's debut album 'Angel of Dust' came out, and everyone was fucking impressed with these guys. I mean, to make a full album without the backing of any record label in a country like Pakistan, is something the band should be proud of. BUT what they should be even more proud of, is that they made a diverse album which has something for everybody. From the pumping thrash attacks of 'Cold' and 'In the Mouth of Madness' to the epic and progressive 'The Final Sign', there is not a single track in this album that'll make you want to skip. Speaking of grungy, the band seems to be influenced by grunge bands like Alice in Chains too. "Thrash metal with progressive and other influences" is how guitarist Hussam Raza describes the band, and he couldn't have been more spot on with that description.

The album kicks off with 'In the Mouth of Madness' which is, like I mentioned before, a pumping thrash attack. The death grunts are delivered in at the right time and compliment the gritty clean vocals well.

The next song 'Auschwitz', follows the same thrash metal approach of the first track, but has a really useless acoustic section in the end. The song would have been a LOT better if the acoustic section wasn't added.

'Colossus' is one of the best tracks in the album, with every member of the band in top form. Waqas and Hussam start to show their trademark alien style guitar work in this album, and their guitar style becomes more evident later on in the album.

'Stars Collide' is a boring acoustic based song but the best vocal performance in the album is in this song. The acoustic guitar work is pretty stellar, and it, along with the vocals, saves this song.

'Cold' is a full on thrash attack in the vein of the first track, and for the third song running, every member of the band is in full force. Ameer Hamza sings like a possessed and blood hungry maniac in this song, and puts as much emotion as he can in the vocals.

The next song, 'Epitaph', is a slow and sludgy song. But the riffs man, THE FREAKING RIFFS! They may not sound so special at first, but after a few more listens, the addictive and psychedelic riffs will penetrate your brain and chances are that they wont leave any time soon. Hussam and Waqas do a good job of separating Orion from the legions of other metal bands in Pakistan thanks to their epic and stellar guitar work.

'Kaleidoscope of Lies' is another solid track, but I don't really like the vocals in this track. This song can be best described as early 80's NWOBHM style, with a sound reminiscent of Stormwitch's 'Walpurgis Night' (1984).

'Bloodshrine' is the next song. It follows in the typical Orion style of great alien-ish riffs backed up by good drumming and solid bass work. But there is a difference in this song. Hammad Khan, who delivered occasional death vocals in the earlier tracks, takes command in this song, and does all the vocals. The song is good, but the vocals sometimes get drowned in the music, like in Cannibal Corpse's 'Tomb of the Mutilated' (1992). This one flaw in this song ruins it in my opinion, but the band start to show their progressive chops in this song.

The band's progressive metal influences are on full display in the next two songs. 'Alpha Orionis' is a short but enjoyable instrumental, and is a perfect set up for the highlight of this album, 'The Final Sign'. 'The Final Sign' is 10 minutes long, and every member of the band shines in this song. Hammad's vocals are awesome, and can be heard clearly, while Waqas and Hussam once again deliver their spaced out psychedelic metal riffs. The song is mind bending to say the least. This song was also Orion's first song to be played on the radio, which shows how much it impressed the mainstream media even. Truly the highlight of the album.

As for the production, it's pretty decent for a self produced and financed album, the instruments can be heard clearly for the most part, but the death metal vocals are often drowned in the music. Sometimes the drumming cannot be heard clearly either. But the production is pretty good overall for a self financed release.

So, overall, I'll give this album an 8.3. One of the best Pakistani metal albums released in the first decade of the 21st century. Download this album now, or risk missing out on one of Pakistan's true gems.

Rating: 8.3 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by MegaHassan
01/04/2009 00:32