A few days ago I had benevolently pulled the ears to Luna, in the person of the only musician involved, as the last full length was shown excessively derivative, although this is an aspect, at least in doom, which normally give a weight all relative. Orphans Of Dusk, in this sense, represent a certain element of discontinuity because, although they also draw significantly to the imprimatur of a specific band, they manage to do so by providing their sound that personal imprint that in the example just mentioned almost entirely lacked. The oceanic duo, formed by New Zealander James Quested on instruments and Australian Chris G. on vocals, offers an effective and elegant interpretation of gothic doom, paying homage to the monumental Type 0 Negative in their darkest guise, but without forgetting to harden the sound of more robust veins, as well as traditionally devoted to the genre as in the dramatic instrumental opening of August Price, thanks to a very good growl that goes to alternate with wisdom to a deep tone that recalls not a little that of the unforgettable Peter Steele. Revenant consists of four tracks for a half hour of music able to reconcile fans with the genre, finally, without having to resort to any particular artifice. There’s no doubt that Beneath The Cover Of Night, for example, seems at times a very successful outtake of October Rust, but it’s the compositional skills of Orphans Of Dusk that make the difference, making them jump easily from a hypothetical status of dull copycats to that of legitimate and inspired continuers of the sound of one of the most influential bands of the last twenty years. It will be difficult not to be enchanted by the soft atmospheres, melodic and pervaded by an uncommon melancholic taste that Orphans Of Dusk pour in their compositions: Revenant, even in its ep guise, is already a completely satisfying work of above-average level, but it’s tickling to think that the band is actually able to reproduce the same quality in a long-distance test; meanwhile, the oceanic duo has entered the orbit of an important label such as Solitude and this is already a good sign.

2015 – Solitude Productions