Orchid is one of those bands that I would have never discovered in my youth if it weren't for mix tapes. My friend Miles used to make me mix tapes of screamo and 90s hardcore bands. This guy turned me on to bands like Converge, Jeromes Dream, Seven Angels Seven Plagues and Creation is Crucifixion. It felt like once a month I'd be asking for more music. I'm pretty sure at one point I had his entire collection of vinyl crammed into an overflowing shoe box full of Maxell and TDK cassettes. Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow was a game changer.
Orchid was considered a pioneer of the 'screamo' sound. Today most people probably associate that term with a bunch of dyed black hair mall goth kids, or something equally obnoxious. Orchid was far from that. They were the real deal. I'd like to think Orchid was some kind of evolution of the raw power that the hardcore bands from the 80s created. They took the energy of bands like Converge and wrapped it in a tornado of fury. It never once sounded like some kid screaming, but a youthful rage that seems unparallel to anything I had heard at that point. Sure, death metal has its guttural vocals and its technically proficient brutality, which still serves a purpose, but there seems to lack a person bond. Orchids sound was seemed more personal. Their music was a direct reflection of what was in their heads. There sound was more wild, not so much driven by skill, but a boiling rage with in. In some sense listening to Orchid provided some kind of existential adolescent. The lyrics always seemed thought provoking as a 16 year old trying to figure it out, while trying to evoke deep thoughts about the world around me.
Here Ya Go
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