Bring Me The Head Of Orion

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Bring Me The Head Of Orion offers a musical experience as large as the state itself. This music contains a sprawling, open-ended quality that confounds expectations by being simultaneously evolutionary and completely static. The formal architecture is built on simple, clear cut melodic ideas and a minimalist type repetition that moves from idea to idea with a refreshing clarity. Depending on your point of view, you might consider the sonic result to accompany the beginning of the world or its end. As or myself, I relate more to it as a soundtrack to the eschaton, and frankly would be worried as to what type of world would produce these sounds from its point of origin.
This musical unit is one man. According to information I was made privy to, this project started in September of this year, after a run in a string of bands. Feeling the need for unfettered self-expression, Orion was born. The gentleman in question is driven by a type of mysanthropy which expresses itself in the music, a "deep-seeded" disgust for humanity in general.
The music itself is entirely instrumental, devoid of lyrics. There is a curious "symphonic" quality that runs through each of the songs, a sort of digital post-tonal "orchestration". The pacing of the songs is quite gradual, each unfolding within the confines of its sonic space with a quiet self-confidence, requiring the respective listener to actually listen to the music itself. What novel thinking, that music should be listened to.
Godflesh and Sunn O))) were listed among the influences called upon in the production of this work, and we can see the connection. The riff work itself calls to mind Streetcleaner at times, and the pacing of the songs definitely drives home the Godflesh association. Where Orion differs from Godflesh specifically is in its orchestral quality, and the fact that the architecture has a "sectional" feel at times, with each idea in a particular song being self-contained while giving impetus to the next. As I stated before, evolutionary yet static.
An example of this is track two of the demo, named "contagion Rite". The song begins with a distorted, ambient, lower register tonal wash that is accompanied by a repetitive figure of keyboard squelches. This gives way to a two part interplay between keyboard and bass with a highly minimalist drum beat, which eventually coheres into a more consistent beat driving the bass line. Eventually, after some melodic and rhythmic development in this section, everything dissolves into guitar and keyboard drones, which then coalesce into a more "metal" type feel. This last eventually dissolves into cadential keyboard figures, and the whole thing ends. Mind you, this whole process, which has been so imperfectly explained, expands for over eight minutes, and unfolds in that mood of slow and deliberate self-confidence described above. Your undivided attention is definitely required.
Overall, there is an intersting balancing of textures and solid architecture. At times it feels like a more somber version of the Residents, especially in the choice of keyboard timbres. Albeit, a version of the Residents in which all the playfullness has been exchanged for sober ruminations on life and death.
One of our personal favorite aspects of this man's vision is in the use of drums. There is an elemental, "on the beat" quality that suits these proceedings perfectly.
One might even go so far to say that the "primitivistic" quality of the drum beats forms the entire backbone for each of the songs. A more overt style of drumming
would interfere with the proceedings. This should make for some interesting discussions amongst the Gabriel Serbian fans in the world. We know it did for us, as we are big fans of The Locust. At times the drums fall out completely, which induces feelings of severe entropy. When the drums come back, so does the sense of forward motion.

check em out at: www.myspace.com/bringmetheheadoforion