There’s something undeniably magnetic about Swedish metal that continues to draw me back, album after album, year after year. It could be the way Nordic musicians seem to channel their harsh winters into crushing riffs, or maybe it’s their innate ability to balance brutality with melody in ways that feel both natural and revolutionary. Whatever the secret ingredient might be, Orbit Culture are certainly looking to piece together their most compelling statement yet with their new album: Death Above Life.
For those unfamiliar with Orbit Culture’s trajectory, the Eksjö-based band has been carving out a distinctive niche in the modern metal landscape since 2013. What began as a melodic death metal project has evolved into something far more expansive – a sound that incorporates elements of progressive metal, djent, and even post-metal atmospherics, while never losing sight of their Swedish death metal DNA.
The album opens with the thunderous “Inferna,” a track that immediately establishes the record’s central themes while serving as a masterful introduction to the band’s refined sound. Niklas Karlsson’s vocals have never sounded more commanding, switching effortlessly between guttural growls that would make Mikael Åkerfeldt proud and soaring clean passages that recall the best of In Flames’ melodic sensibilities. The guitar work creates a wall of sound that feels both crushing and surprisingly intricate. There’s almost a mathematical precision to their riffing that suggests a careful study of modern progressive metal masters like Meshuggah and Gojira.
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The album is filled with engaging elements that highlight the band’s penchant for varying soundscapes, from the eerie, cinematic title track, “Death Above Life,” to them channelling their inner Amon Amarth on “The Storm”.
Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Niklas Karlsson says:
This record represents change, a new beginning. It brings up a lot of good and bad emotions but it’s a big change for the better. It feels like a rebirth.
One of the album’s greatest triumphs is how it handles the integration of clean vocals. Too often, modern metal bands treat clean singing as a separate entity from their harsh vocals, creating jarring transitions. Orbit Culture has clearly studied this problem and found elegant solutions, making the clean vocals feel like natural extensions of the harsh passages. This is particularly evident on “Hydra,” where the vocal melodies seem to emerge organically from the instrumental arrangements.
The album’s final act, comprising the tracks “Neural Collapse” and “The Path I Walk,” brings the record to a satisfying conclusion while leaving the listener wanting more. These songs feel like the natural culmination of the themes and musical ideas explored throughout the album.
In the context of Orbit Culture’s discography, Death Above Life represents a natural evolution. The melodic sensibilities are supported by stronger songwriting and superior production. It is an album that rewards both casual listening and deep analysis, offering immediate gratification while revealing additional layers with repeated exposure. These layers vary from the brutal and beautiful to the familiar and fresh.
Orbit Culture haven’t reinvented the wheel, but they’ve certainly built a better one.
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Death Above Life is out on October 3rd
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