Orphanage – Driven
Author: Erin Fox
With a male – female vocal tandem in George Oosthoek and Rosan van
der Aa, Orphanage stress their individuality on ‘Driven’. Taking cues from chamber music, metal and electronica in their composition, this is an ensemble that takes its songwriting very seriously. The call and response vein in which the male and female vocals are alternately structured lend
an eccentric inflection that holds the interest of the listener.
The subtle nuances of ‘Cold’ reinforce the electronically metallic choruses
of the song. Alternating between the bottom heavy KoRn themed riff as
both an introduction and hook and saintly verses works for this group very well. The track’s lyrics are focused on personal relationships and soul searching meditations.
Although the rough vocals of Oosthoek might not be everyone’s cup of
tea, his gruff barking lends personality to music which this type of performance does not grace as a standard. Forming a perfect yin-yang with his vocal counterpart challenges the listener to explore new descant territories. On the track ‘Dead Ground we discover straight ahead cadence combined with eerie synth effects. A scurrilous chorus finds the sandy throated Oosthoek taking control and inciting participation.
The swelling introduction of ‘Back Gate’ gives way to some ambient clay
pot percussion courtesy of drummer Sureel. This one is a great
intermission in between tunes that furthers the overall atmosphere. The record kicks it back up a notch with the trance jam ‘In Slavery’ which maintains a nice, even keeled groove making for one of my favorites of ‘Driven’.
Aa starts off the title track with a softly intonated line that is an example
of some truly beautiful vocalization. The disjointed structure of the body
of the piece is a perfect segue and George treats us to some clean sonant expression. The record closes with growling ‘Ender’s Game’ with some definite European influence chopped amongst the flying vox of Aa and
stiff repeating guitars.
The production is top notch and it is apparent that a lot of time and effort went into the band’s studio session. That effort should be both easily recognized and very well received.
Rating: 8.5/10 – Orphanage – Driven (Nuclear Blast)
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