Review
Orphanage Named Earth
Re-Evolve

Orphanage Named Earth is Polish band that plays romantic crust. I'll explain later on what to expect, but let me tell you up front: in a strange way it is a pretty accurate description. Orphanage Named Earth started a few years back, in 2015 and have released one demo so far. Re-Evolve is their debut and it is an album with an ambitious scope from start to finish. With 8 songs ranging from five minutes to eight and a half minutes this is no short record (it will be released on double vinyl, in case you are interested). 

Lyrically Re-Evolve tries to offer hope. Is there a way in which we can live in peace, both with each other as with animal life? Orphanage Named Earth seems to think there is. Their focus is upon sociological issues and then mainly human greed and selfishness. Their hope is based upon the thought that a next step in our evolution (or re-evolution) should change human thinking. Lyrically they try to offer hope. Musically, this is harsh and punishing, as if they express there is hope, but not too much. 

The promo sheet I received talks about post-metal, crust and d-beat melted together. With song-lengths as are offered on Re-Evolve I would expect the focus in their song-writing to be on the post-metal part with a dash of the other genres mentioned. I was wrong about that. The focus here is on the crust part. Me stating this is partly due to the vocals. I feel these fit best in the crusty environment found in every song on Re-Evolve. There is a downside to this kind of voice, unfortunately one that Re-Evolve suffers from as well. It tends to get a bit samey after a while. The song-writing manages to keep things interesting, but if you listen careful you'll notice that the vocals don't always fit in smoothly. Almost every song leads to a crusty d-beat part. It either starts with it, or it evolves into it. The post-metal influences are mainly found in the more atmospheric parts connecting the harsher stuff. The strength of Orphanage Named Earth is that they can connect these different parts in such a way that there is always a sense of flow. It all sounds logical, no strange breaks to be found on Re-Evolve. 

Let's single out a few songs. Opener "Piss On Your Parade" starts slowly with guitar strumming but quickly goes into d-beat territory. After that a slow, but harsh post-metal riff enters the stage, only to bring us back to more crust. Around the five minute mark there is room to build up tension a bit. This leads to a melodic, almost introspective part, after which the song closes softer. The end of this song is one of the parts where the vocals don't really seem to fit. The six following songs all follow a pattern of switching between harsh crust and post-metal. Fortunately the band is smart enough to not follow a predictable pattern in doing so. Finally, album closer "Monuments Of Tomorrow" is the song I expected the whole album to sound like. The post-metal influences are heaviest here. It is a bit slower than the other seven songs, more dreamy (or should I say nightmarish?) in a way. It is, in my eyes, the perfect album closer, leaving you to with a urge to take action in a way: there is hope, but it requires action!

The production is focussed on the guitar and vocals. I would have loved to hear a bit more bass guitar and perhaps a bit more drum, but that's a personal preference. The production is a bit loud, but fits the style played here. All in all, this is a debut that is enjoyable and introduces a band with a lot of potential.