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Orthrelm is a Washington-based duo (former
Quix*o*tic's bassist
Mick Barr, now on guitar, and drummer Josh Blair, a member of avantgarde ensemble ABCs)
that debuted with a 99-track 13-minute EP Asristir Vieldriox (Troubleman Unlimited, 2002), in a hardly recognizable metalcore sub-style.
But the real revelation was OV (Ipecac, 2005), a full-length album
containing a single 45-minute track that married the speed of grindcore and
the repetition of Terry Riley's minimalism.
The piece revolves around very few ideas, but each is developed to a manic detail and intensity.
It is a relentless, dense and tense stream of
consciousness. It is as tortured as the post-rock meditations of
Slint or
Don Caballero, although streamlined to the
point of resembling a mathematical operation (not convoluted like a mathematical theorem), except that the fury is punk or metal or both.
The first 17 minutes are devoted to a frenzied repetition of simple guitar-drums patterns with little or no variation. Then a syncopated supra-pattern causes
the micro-patterns to split and drama enters the geometry of spacetime. A new, shrill pattern begins after a sequence of glissandoes with no drums.
By the 30-minute mark, the guitar's manic runs have become quite agonizing
and the drumming has become pure electricity.
Orthrelm's hypnotic and transcendent post-metal explicits the loop from the
psyche back to the psyche that is the fundamental principle of art.
Barr also played in Octis, that released
Ocrilim (Troubleman Unlimited, 2005), a 33-minute piece for guitar and drum machine.
Barr's solo project Ocrilim was credited for Anoint (I & Ear, 2006),
a massive seven-movement symphony for overdubbed guitars reminiscent of
Glenn Branca, and for the seven-movement
Annwn (Hydra Head, 2008) for multi-tracked guitar.
Josh Blair also drums for Supersystem.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Luca Cantoreggi)
Mike Barr suonava la chitarra negli Quix*o*tic, band capeggiata dalle due cantanti blues (Christina and Mira Billotte) che ha pubblicato Night For Day (Ixor Stix, 2000) e Mortal Mirror (Kill Rock Stars, 2002).
Il loro sound è un’originale combinazione di garage-rock e lunge-music.
Orthrelm è un duo formatosi a Washington (dal chitarrista Mike Barr e dal batterista Josh Blair) che ha debuttato con Asristir Vieldriox (Troubleman Unlimited, 2002), un EP di 13 minuti e 99 brani, in un sotto-stile metalcore difficilmente riconoscibile. Ma la vera rivelazione è stato OV (Ipecac, 2005), un intero album contenente un’unica canzone di 45 minuti che sposa la velocità del grindcore e il minimalismo ripetitivo di Terry Riley. Il brano gira intorno a poche idee, ma ciascuna sviluppata con un’intensità e dettaglio maniacali.
E’ un flusso di coscienza inesorabile, frenetico, denso e carico di tensione. E’ tormentato e contorto così come lo sono le meditazioni post-rock degli Slint o dei Don Caballero, ma la violenza è quella del punk o del metal o di entrambi.
Barr ha anche suonato negli Octis, che hanno pubblicato Ocrilim (Troubleman Unlimited, 2005), un brano di 33 minuti per chitarra e drum machine.
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