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Review Summary: This is not a test. Repeat: this is not a test. Hailing from an assortment of metal and progressive projects, ORBS gather their heritage into a lovely package that calls out the hypocrisies of Christianity, or for the sake of the matter, religion in general. I mean, these guys SLAM everything about religion – if you practice one, you’ll be offended by the lyrics at least at one point – but the thing is that it’s just the most impressive element of their music, that they can connect the dots of our society so acutely without sacrificing the music one bit.
The proggy, scientifically geeky stylings of the band fit the image they’re attempting to recreate perfectly. There’s absolutely no better mental picture for these pleasantly loud-mouthed atheists than that of a group of mad scientists, observing the spiritual world around them with dismay. Are Dan Briggs, Adam Fisher and co. willing to chalk their rousing success here up to fate? Nah! Do they at least concede that religion has the capability of being a morally savvy ideology if utilized correctly? Hell no! They’re resolute in their winding, whimsical anecdotes that directly tackle the silly facets of religion, staying true in their bold statements until the album’s death that is “Eclipsical”, the winding-down of the wacky life the album lived. And all throughout the album, it is vital for ORBS to relay important messages to us, regardless of which specific ones they happen to be. Perhaps the most immediate example would be “A Man of Science”, which illustrates the tendency of religion to make one want to just dress a little nicer, to “press that shirt that slick that hair”, and to come across as somebody a bit more holy than we actually are. “Something Beautiful” tells the tale of Jesus’ brother, possessing similar powers but lacking the intuition to utilize it for good, and ends up turning innocent people into monsters. The ultimate case of great power requiring responsibility. Something that only a God could struggle with.
Adam Fisher has a knack for expounding on the taboos of our society, and so with his hilariously witty one-liners like “Oh my Science!” one can’t help but think that this project is where his work flows most comfortably. His voice is bound to be the most polarizing aspect of the band’s music; it’s pretty weirdly high-pitched, for starters, and his lyrics about sending puppies off to war don’t endear too many listeners on the first go. However, for those that adore science out there, those that take pride in knowledge of the world around us Adam Fisher sells his case as the perfect candidate for the celestial voyage that is undertaken throughout the album. His mocking croons come across as strikingly satirical, and his gut-wrenching screams in “Lost at Sea” couldn’t have been expressed as well by anybody else. However, he would have been harder to take seriously without the vivacious musicality rampant throughout all of Asleep Next to Science. The all-star ensemble from all the furthest reaches of progressive and metal fuse their talents seamlessly to create their personal soundtrack to space. They aren’t afraid to dip into anthems when necessary (the end of “Lost at Sea”), they possess enough restraint to get locked up into a catchy groove when it’s necessary, and they also bolster the talent to perform an intergalactic jam session, like the one that emerges on the tail end of “Eclipsical”. Dan Briggs’ love for King Crimson fuses itself with Fisher’s whimsical lyrical concepts, and every note created is filled to the brim with importance, never flooding in self-indulgence.
According to Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, the purpose of a satire is to inform society in the ways that it should change, to purposefully poke fun for the end result of an adjusted world. This applies strikingly well with ORBS, for they wear their fears and paranoia about our world on their sleeve for us to take notice, to take charge and consider our lives. What exactly do we consider most sacred in our lives, and what are our reasons? Are we perhaps letting concepts like religion take too much precedence in society? And if so, are we doing anything about it? Asleep Next to Science is a rousing success, not only because it begs these questions but because it unites so many over the subjects at hand.
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There was so much ground to cover with this album. I talked much about religion, because it's important to look at the context of this album's release and its impact.
Cheers! This was a fun one to write.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Pos, album is gold. Unsure about my rating, though.
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Thanks man!
I used to have it at a 4.5, but it's just so good. I don't ever get tired of it, and it's really stuck with me over the past year.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
yeah this album is SOOOOOOOOOOOO good.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Album is fantastic, review is pretty damn good too, but I think you were being overdramatic towards the end just a scosh. :p
Still though, definitely one of the better written reviews I've read on the site. You clearly put a lot of time and effort into it, and it certainly deserves a pos.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
The ending made me cringe with its cheesiness but perhaps it's fitting given the album..aha.
I pos'd though, this was a really good read, and this is a personal favorite album of mine.
Where did you hear that Something Beautiful was about 'Jesus' brother" though? I mean, I suppose it would make sense, but it's pretty ambiguous unless the band clearly stated that in an interview or something. I interpreted it more as a scientist trying to replace religion.
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that fourth paragraph is boss as fuck
i'm also probably going to pick this up later pospospos
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Actually after re-reading the lyrics I agree with it being about a brother to Jesus. Makes a lot of sense.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
very very well written.
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Good review. I really don't like this album.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
This needs a feature. Just sayin'.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Goddamnit Adam.
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i understand the hype but the vox suck and some of the tracks dont feel right, but a lot of this is nice
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I just cannot get into the vocals and it's wierd because I loved Adam's vocals in Fear Before and some of the melodies are a bit corny to me. Ill give it another try tho.
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Thanks a ton guys ^_^ really appreciate the kind words.
Yeah, the ending's cheesy, but I guess when you care a ton about an album it easily shows through the review. I may edit it up a bit later.
And honestly, I haven't liked what I've heard from Fear Before. Blasphemy, I know.
YazzFlute, there's an interview I gathered a lot of information from. You can view it here: http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/track-by-track_orbs
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Ugh the vocals
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i like the vocals and the album. good review.
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Thanks guys!
I find his voice weird, yeah, but I'm surprised that so many prog fans are so turned off by them. If one appreciates the music, it seems that Adam's voice would go along with that quite well
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However, with the blooming of technology in the past decade more and more of the United States’ citizens witness the atheistic leanings of many others around the world, and as a result the amount of religious diversity has steadily increased in the new millennium.
this sentence is pretty awkward and could use some reworking, maybe just simplify it or split it.
in general, this review starts with two pretty beefy paragraphs before it even gets into the music, and to be honest I didn't exactly feel the transition or understand their purpose. honestly those two paragraphs could have come out of an article on archaeological analysis or something and didn't have a whole lot of relevance to the album at hand, so I would say definitely try to cut stuff like that down a bit.
rest of the review is good, though the conclusion again gets to be highfalutin and more relatable to things outside of music or this album. just be careful with going over the top, more often than not it happens that less is more and that's never a bad credo to review by.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I had not idea, you reviewed this. I love this album myself. The review is really good, but your a great writer so its not surprising. Have a POS, mate.
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