Orb Of Torture
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Brussels technical death metallers Orb Of Torture started out in 2002 and have since established themselves as one of the most promising practitioners of the genre. Sounding as an infectious mix between (early) Kataklysm, Suffocation and Monstrosity this Belgian unit have released their first international promo a couple of months ago. "Stereolith" presents three tracks that combine the strengths of American, Canadian and European death metal in a style all their own. Talking to us are Orb Of Torture bassist Lars Herbaut, drummer Jense Philips, guitarist Tristan van Dorsselaer and vocalist Ben Olbrechts.First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time to speak with me today. Congratulations for releasing such a great first promo! How are things going now? Are you receiving a good response from the fans and international metal press?
B: Thank you for the kind words. Orb is in great form again; we have our new promo cd out, Tristan is back in business, we have quite a few shows coming up in the following weeks. We're still friends and we haven't changed our views on life, people, music...
Introduce our readers with Orb Of Torture regarding its line-up, when and where you recorded this impressive promo, its musical direction and why it was released independently.
T: Who produces the sound is trivial at best, so let's not bore readers with that. If they must know they can find this information on our website. However, I do think it's worth mentioning that we are a 'two-guitar' band. This is essential to our sound and to some extent our musical direction is dictated by this tradition, so gloriously initiated by the likes of Judas Priest, Dark Angel and Suffocation. "Stereolith", the new promo, was recorded at our rehearsal room during two weeks of the horrible heat wave of 2006. We spent those days in a small windowless room, surrounded by heat emitting electronic devices. Needless to say the resulting atmosphere was less than pleasant. But, one has to suffer for art, something which seems very true for us Orblings.
B: Indeed, and there wasn't only the heat that got on our nerves; we also had to deal with numerous technical problems and delays. So when we actually started recording we were already behind on schedule. But, in the end, it turned out pretty well and it was definitely an experience we all learned a lot from.
T: The musical trajectory we find ourselves blazing along is that of death metal, albeit in a warped and quite hectic form. I think our music could appeal to traditionalists as well as to those who seek to wander less travelled paths. We financed and released these recordings ourselves simply because we don't have a label.
In 2003 you issued the locally released "Death Particles". Was there a difference in approach to recording this time around?
L: Compared to "death_particles", we had a more clear vision on what we wanted and how to achieve that vision. We are pleased with the result but not so much with the delays.
T: For me the main difference was of physical origin. This recording session was some sort of 'therapy', a necessary step in recovery. Allow me to elaborate... I hadn't played the guitar since May 2004 because of some fucking injury that wouldn't go away. If I wanted this extremely irritating condition to heal, I had no other option than to stop playing. I had no idea how long this would take... it turned out to be two fucking years. Dark times. In May 2006, two months prior to recording "Stereolith" I started practicing again. Not playing for two years affects the stamina and endurance needed to play this kind of music. So I had to work hard to regain my old strength without overstraining my wrist and elbow too much. A delicate act of balance and a constant battle with pain. And even though I hadn't reached my old level of playing, the recording process allowed me to see how far I could push myself at that moment and I was a lot more confident afterwards.
B: We also had the opportunity to record with better equipment. For "death_particles" we rented 4 low-budget singing microphones to record everything, I'm still impressed with the fact that it turned out to sound quite well. For the recording of "Stereolith" I had the opportunity to borrow decent microphones from my job and Marlon had also bought a new pre-amp a few weeks before the recordings, which allowed us to record everything on a much higher level compared to "death_particles". The mastering of our tracks was done at the CCR Studios which gave our new promo the sound boost we were looking for...
That 2003 promo led to a number of one-off dates with some famous names, including Beheaded, Despondency, Malignancy, Ophiolatry, Tankard and Wormed. That must have been great, releasing a promo and immediately being able to do some big name shows?
L: It's not really easy to get shows in Belgium, so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to play with those bands. I love doing live shows and feel we're getting quite good at it... Everyone in the band seems to experience live shows in their own way though...
B: The shows you mentioned were really cool especially because the response of the audience and the bands was really good. Malignancy was even more delighted when, after the show, someone in Orb supplied them with a strange green substance...
Orb Of Torture is in Belgium already known as an extremely intense live act. How difficult is it to catch that intensity on a recording?
T: OoT needs a sound that conveys the feeling of a 'real' band playing, suffering, working hard to deliver the imminent signs of sonic destruction. By striking the first note of any one of our works we commit to channelling a violent stream of energy that demands utter dedication. Anything less leads to a pale effigy, a farcical rendition of an essence that doesn't allow for emotional, physical or intellectual laziness. Testament to this is the multitudes of instantly forgettable bands that indulge in playing for personal glory, peer recognition or affirmation of genital longitude. They soil the legacy of metal (and music in general) with pointless drivel void of the dedication this music so clearly demands. The intensity you mention is a direct consequence of what is at stake here, and for that matter is inherent to our music and vision. It bleeds into our recordings because we are who we are. This being said, we certainly aren't blind to our own deficiencies. The magnificence of artistic predecessors or contemporaries who succeed in expressing, in whatever form, the essence we so highly value, is a constant reminder that we should not be content or satisfied with our own work. We live in humility and inspiration by the examples set.
It seems that you were all very comfortable in the studio. Do you feel that making this record on your own terms ended up in a better overall result?
T: The fact that we temporarily transformed our rehearsal space to something resembling a studio was comfortable on a financial level. However, there was still considerable time pressure because of various boring reasons. Physical conditions were unpleasant at best and dire at worst. In the "Stereolith" cd booklet we dubbed our rehearsal room 'the odious forge' for a very good reason. The overall result is pleasing. We're proud but already contemplating our next attack.
L: Not to be forgotten is the fact that we used metronome patterns for the first time and you can hear that for sure. The overall sound is in great balance and we have a nice heavy guitar sound!
You worked with the well-respected CCR Studios (Aborted, Leng Tch'e, etc) for mixing and mastering this new promo. How would you describe your working relation with the studio?
T: Kris put up remarkably well with my constant nagging. When we first sent him our tracks he put a lot of effort in triggering the drums. We in turn thought the triggers sounded rather lifeless to say the least. Of course, we should have mentioned that we do not approve of triggers because we value the sound of analogue recordings too much. But we didn't expect this to be possible actually, replacing analogue drums with triggers after they were recorded. Anyway, after this minor quibble everything went rather smoothly and we are very happy with the work Kris has done for us.
Tell us something about the concept and the meaning of the title from the new promo, "Stereolith"?
L: Tristan came up with that name as a joke but after a while we all felt it was a such powerful word and fitted right in with the slowly growing concept.
T: "Stereolith" stands for heavy music. We were a bit geologically inclined during the preparations for this record. Stones have many properties that fit our music. Timeless, heavy, painful when thrown at people etc...
Who is responsible for the lyrics, what subjects are included and do you want to bring something across with it or are they just there to fit the music?
L: Everyone in the band contributes to the lyrics. I wrote the opener, 'Ten Billion Unique Monoliths'. It's an abstract train of thought that compares human beings to delicate fine sculpted monoliths, all very special and intense on their own, just like human beings. If there is only one, you can easily see all these amazing things, but if you have like billions and billions standing in front of you, all becomes a blur and it demands a lot more effort to see the wonder! Ben had some cool ideas for 'the Pathetic Selector' but he got stuck and asked me if I had any ideas to complete the lyrics, so I took his draft, gave it its title, rearranged the whole thing and added/dropped some lines... It became a funny co-writing about a pathetic selector.
B: It deals with the sick aspects of the human mind...It's also written in a different style than the other 2 tunes, it has more of a humorous side to it. The story behind 'Death's Solemn Aura' is, basically, revenge; a theme recurrent in our lyrics. Righting the wrongs done unto you. Jense came up with this one. My voice to me is like an instrument and I use the words to create different sounds and grooves that fit right in with the music. It's even better if those words have a nice meaning or story behind them.
J: The way the vocals are rhythmically incorporated in the music is very important to us. Instead of simply putting the vocals randomly over the music, I always go through the lyrics with Ben in order to find just those vocal patterns that add the best rhythmic touch to the music.
In my review I compared Orb Of Torture to the likes of (early) Kataklysm, Suffocation and Monstrosity in overall feel and delivery. Do you feel that these comparisons do the material justice?
T: Certainly, we are honoured by your words. Without Suffocation there simply would be no OoT and Monstrosity has always been a favourite of us, especially "Millennium". As for Kataklysm, I can see why you would say that. We sometimes use melodies that have a 'blissful' quality. Something Kataklysm also do, but in excessive fashion I might add. "Temple of Knowledge" was only just saved by the insane vocal delivery of their former vocalist, Sylvain Houde. Once he left the downfall that had already started musically on that album continued. Nowadays Kataklysm sounds rather mediocre in my humble opinion, so I'm glad you specifically state 'early' Kataklysm.
J: Bring back the days of 'Shrine of Life'!!!
There's already a big progression to be heard on "Stereolith". Where do you see the band collectively evolving to with the planned full length?
T: We will record our most technical as well as our most groovy material to date. If everything works out, this one will elevate us to the next plateau of invincibility.
Are there already any details worth mentioning about the upcoming full length, as far as studios, track list and such is concerned?
T: It will be a cathartic record: cleansing, threatening and beautiful in a horrible way.
B: We will record it at the CCR Studios; the new stuff is killer.
J: Out of our repertoire we have chose those songs that fit best together in terms of dynamics, groove, mood, etc.
L: After doing so Tristan discovered we wrote a concept album without realizing it ourselves.
The design and lay-out of "Stereolith" also scream non-conformity. It is blessed with different artwork than the typical death metal record. It looks more like a darkwave or ambient record, as far as I'm concerned. Was this done to differentiate the band from the faceless competitors, of which there are abundant?
T: As far as we are concerned this was not intentional. We knew we didn't want the typical Photoshop layer artwork and the geological inclination I mentioned earlier led us to these stones.
L: We were constantly haunted by this stone ape. Tristan took some garden pictures and there it was for the first time. When taking pictures during my trip in Cambodia, it resurfaced again. We felt it became part of this project and that's why we used the pictures on the cover and in the booklet.
As far as the Belgian scene is concerned, you seem to stand out in a similar manner in which bands like Aborted, Emeth, In-Quest and Prejudice do. "Stereolith" sounds very worldly and internationally appealing. Does the band identify itself with the Belgian underground scene?
T: We'd rather sound 'otherworldly'! Identification with scenes is not really our thing, I guess. There are individuals we feel somewhat connected to and they know who they are. No more should be made of these matters. Something as mundane as the earthly location of a band is not something to be especially proud of. Topography can be a valid aspect and an influence on the music itself, but when it comes to social bonding it is highly overrated in my book.
How important is the Internet and MySpace in helping promote the EP and the band?
T: To my discontent it seems to be very important nowadays. Initially, I was strongly opposed to the whole 'whorespace' business. I even plead with my bandmates to remove our presence from this wretched virtual domain filled with the saddest specimen of humanity. I didn't want to be associated with some sort of prefab corporate whore tool. But I can see the benefits now. Still, I can't deny a certain degree of disgust each time I visit our page to see if any more people listened to our songs, hehe. Does that make me a hypocrite? Anyway, the more hidden something is, the more powerful, if you catch my drift? There was a reason important religious paintings were only revealed to the public on special occasions. They preserved their power, an untouchable and mystical aura. I need not explain the devastating effect MySpace has on the 'aura' of music.
L: I understand what Tristan is saying here, but I disagree. I think to stand out in this blur of crap that the music scene is, you better adapt to their game and use their ugly tools against them. I also think it's highly overrated, but I like the networking part of MySpace...
Now with an excellent new EP under your belt can the audience expect you on stage through out Europe soon?
L: That would be great! If we get the opportunity, we will do our very best to make it happen.
Thanks for the interview! Good luck with all your future endeavours. Feel free to add anything you want to close this interview.
J: Mad props to you Wouter for this interview and for your support, in general. Take a look at orboftorture.be and myspace.com/orboftorture and don't forget to spread the word!
Booking: contact@orboftorture.be
Site: www.orboftorture.be
