Prog-rock outfit O.R.k. is back with ‘Mask Becomes The Face’, the third instalment in a recent string of new single releases from the band. ‘Mask Becomes The Face’ follows ‘Blast Of Silence’ and ‘PUTFP’ as O.R.k.’s final release of 2024 and paves the way for an exciting 2025.
Speaking on the new single, bassist Colin Edwin says “Mask Becomes The Face” is open to interpretation but is ultimately a song about personal identity and how it might take shape or change in difficult surroundings. Thematically, it does share some elements with ‘Pyre’, our very first song as O.R.k.”
Aside from Edwin, the band features Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (LEF) as lead vocalist, Pat Mastelotto on drums, and Carmelo Pipitone on guitars. However, the track features a guest appearance from lauded guitarist and ex-touring member of Porcupine Tree John Wesley who provided the song’s climatic guitar solo. Speaking on the collaboration, Edwin said “Having spent years beside him in Porcupine Tree, I’ve long known what John Wesley is capable of as a guitarist when he gets a moment to shine, and it seemed ‘Mask Becomes The Face’ was crying out for some sort of epic element to put the icing on the cake so to speak. So, we put two and two together and asked Wes to do his thing.
“Fair to say he knocked it out of the park with his highly expressive and engaging guitar solo, which managed to surpass my expectations, and all of us in O.R.k. can’t thank him enough. We’re thrilled to have Wes as a guest on our latest single, we couldn’t be more grateful for his fantastic contribution.”
The single is available here and is accompanied by a haunting new animated video that embodies the uneasy, cathartic atmosphere of the track that you can check out here at RAMzine.
“Our songs lay us bare, showing exactly who we are. We often tuck personal messages into the lyrics – Words that might be a bit tricky to suss out. But that’s alright, because it’s the music that really carries the weight of our emotions,” said vocalist LEF.
Spontaneous yet intricately crafted, 2022’s Screamnasium was widely regarded as O.R.k’s most essential album to date, however the band has a new album due in 2025, so stay tuned.
