Orme – Orme – Album Review

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Chris Jennings in Reviews

These certifiable nutcases have had the gall to release a debut album that clocks in at a bum-numbing 96 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 96 fuckin’ minutes. And just 2 tracks. Yes, you also read that right. Just 2 tracks over 96 fuckin’ minutes. If your immediate response is to sigh and then say, “I ain’t got time for that”…. then we’re right there with ya!

But, give Orme some time (96 minutes as we’ve already established) and you may find yourself hypnotised by the alluring sounds of drone, stoner and doom that emanate from your, admittedly tired, speakers.

When encountering such a gargantuan effort, there’s a few things you’re going to have to do. HAVE TO! Put down your phone, turn off the television, draw the curtains, tell the kids to fuck off…. and settle in. Your ability to focus on just one thing is about to be tested to its absolute limit.

An unwieldly beast that hums and undulates in often ambient waves of psychedelic-doom-infused, abstractly mediative, virtually unclassifiable noise.

Orme is difficult. It’s challenging. Infuriating, even. It’s also mesmerising, rewarding, and an ‘experience’ of the kind you’ve probably denied yourself for a long, long time. That ‘experience’ is giving yourself fully to the moment. No distractions. And you’ll need to do exactly that to appreciate the ultimately cathartic nature of Orme‘s work here.

Vocals, when they do arrive, are akin to spiritual chants and, while a little off-putting at first, do justice to the music. Orme is a journey and it’s as dark and wrought with danger as life itself and, if you’re willing to go along for the ride, you may find an album that’s transcendent in all its horrifying beauty. 8/10