The band O.R.k (as in ‘Oh R Kay’ rather than ork) comprises a collaboration between vocalist and composer LEF, Colin Edwin (bass), Carmelo Pipitone (guitar) and Pat Mastelotto (drums), all of whom have pedigree in prog circles, with Mastelotto having played with King Crimson and Colin Edwin having had a lengthy stint in Porcupine Tree, playing on most of their classic albums. They’re a collection of kindred spirits united by their love of the music and, despite their other commitments, finding the time to record albums together, with Screamnasium being their fourth. What’s one of these, you ask? According to Edwin, it’s the place “where you go to scream your head off as a form of release”.
This is a powerful mesmerising album, multi-layered and with some fairly heavy riffing but also with moments of a quiet delicate touch. The riffing is occasionally brutal in places but, when this occurs, it’s as an integral part of the song, it’s not the song itself. The track ‘Deadly Bite‘ being a good example. The music is rhythmic and well-performed with some fine hooks and isn’t just a series of riffs. Given the pedigree of musicians involved, soloing is kept to a minimum, with only a couple of tracks having short solo breaks.
But, for this reviewer, perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the album is just how uncannily like Jeff Buckley vocalist LEF sounds. ‘I Feel Wrong’ could absolutely be an outtake from Buckley’s debut album, Grace. I defy anyone listening to the opening vocals of album closer ‘Someone Waits’, with Joe Quail playing cello, to tell me it isn’t Jeff Buckley singing.
The album opens with the single, ‘As I Leave’, alternating between an acoustic guitar and power metal. As the band say, this is a song “for anyone who’s ever wanted a closer connection with someone but couldn’t make it work”. ‘Don’t Call Me A Joke’ is also a single, with its message “if you’ve nothing to say, don’t say anything”. ‘Something Broken’ maybe should also have been a single, it being slightly more commercial than ‘Joke’. The slower ‘Consequence’ sees LEF being joined on vocals by someone named Elisa, producing lovely harmonies. Standout track on a fine album is ‘Lonely Crowd’, with its use of synths and being reminiscent of Porcupine Tree.
Colin Edwin, for whatever reason, isn’t with the newly resuscitated Porcupine Tree on their new album and current tour, but this album shows he’s put his time to good use, and Screamnasium seems likely to be right up there with the best albums in this genre you’ll hear this year.
, Carmelo Pipitone (guitar) and Pat Mastelotto.){kind=link}