*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Louisiana!
Providing a powerful boost of energy and creativity to old school death metal, is New Orleans own, Orifist. The trio consisting of Devin Jones (guitar/vocals), Matt Fogarty (lead vocals), and Dominick Mora (drums) present a murderous sound, reminiscent of the classics, with names like Suffocation, Morbid Angel, and Death immediately coming to mind.
On the band’s newest album, ‘Behold the Fortunate,’ released on April 9th, 2018; the riffing is often technical without spiraling down the rabbit hole of technical excess as the band definitely knows how to infuse tons of thrash metal groove for maximum listenability. Again, in keeping with a more old school feel, they manage to stay crushingly heavy without feeling the need to down-tune into the muddy depths of loose string tension hell. The resulting effect is punchy riffing with tons of attack.
The rhythm section is likewise up to par with some highly impressive drumwork, particularly the relentless double-bass, showcased exceptionally throughout. Drumming refrains from coming across as too mechanical, as can often be the case with such extreme music, but rather retains an amazing level of organic quality thanks to some awesomely creative drum fills provided continuously by Mora. Vocally, Fogarty spews with a deep, guttural growl, similar to that of Suffocation’s Frank Mullen to round things out for an overall brutally menacing sound.
For fans of old school brutal/technical death metal with plenty of groove, be sure to give NOLA’s Orifist a listen. This is some seriously heavy and infectious stuff, and with track names like “Satan Tastes Like Purple,” how can you go wrong?
