Rating: 9.4

Country: Finland

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Black Widow

Track list:
1. In The Vault
2. A Beginning
3. Anton
4. Island Of Joy
5. Frontline Dreams
6. Opening By Watchtower
7. Lighthouse

Band Website: Orne

Orne - The Conjuration By The Fire

Kerux Antti Fredriksson- Bass
Hierophant Kimi Karki- Guitars, Chorus
Stolistes Pirkka Lieno: Organ, Rhodes piano
Dadouchos Jussi Lisko: Soprano Sax, Flute
Hiereus Jay Lovely: Drums, Percussion
Sentinel Pekka Pitkala: Lead guitars
Hegemon Albert Witchfinder: Vocals

…And now for something completely different. This is a record I've been waiting two entire years for- as (Hellride-spawned) lore would have it, this record was devoured by the gluttonous maw of Black Widow Records swiftly following its recording, and has been withheld for flabbergasting reasons till now. Now, I'm not entirely clued in to the politics of Black Widow, but the furor the label has engendered among the underground doom community of late (what with the spurning of Minotauri for refusing to play ball with their “add some flutes and Hammonds to your doom or else!” doctrine) has cast them in a rather dubious light of late. Thank Azathoth and his blind pipers, then, as they have finally deemed it fit to disinter this gloriously graven masterpiece.

As many sworn doom droogs will know, this is a band that developed parallel to, and contemporaneous with, the eminent Reverend Bizarre, and features all three members of said luminaries as well as a supporting trio of prodigious musical ability. Aesthetically, however, the two bands share scant similarities- true, there are some passing parallels to RB's more contemplative passages, but whereas Reverend Bizarre quaff deeply from the sarcophagus of Saint Vitus, Cathedral and Witchfinder General, Orne present a uniquely somber, arrestingly emotive take on late ‘60s/early ‘70s British progressive rock. Painting with broad strokes of Meddle and Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd, and tasteful brushes of In The Court Of The Crimson King King Crimson, Spring and Nursery Cryme Genesis, Orne's expansive sonic canvas also exhibits a healthy affinity for vintage Finnish prog, particularly the likes of Tasavellan Presidentti (though they are never as sprightly or upbeat as most TP material), Wigwam and Kalevala. Rest assured, then, that this is not even remotely close to the neo-prog tripe that countrymen Amorphis have been plumbing to nauseatingly poor effect for the last decade.

Patrick Walker ushers us into the catacombs of Orne with a suitably ominous sermon, offering a portent to the contents of the record. Fittingly, the entire record has a weightless, dreamlike, yet assertively disciplined feel that lends a ritualistic, yet not austere feel to the proceedings. Instead, the record juxtaposes Bacchanalian Black Widow/Comus whimsy and flightiness with a dolorous melancholy, creating a very interesting dichotomy between orgiastic mischief and grave introspection. This contrast becomes corporeal in the band's exquisitely dynamic compositions- the bewitching “A Beginning” opens with lush clean guitar, mournful, grieving saxophone, sparse percussion and markedly subdued cooing from Albert, who further cements his extraordinary versatility and emotive range. At the 01:40 mark, the song escalates into a swinging, upbeat groove that surely would not be awkward on Reverend Bizarre's more uptempo material. All the hallmarks of said band are here and accounted for- swerving, elegantly expressed and nuanced drumming by Void, propulsive Peter riffing, and cocksure, swaggering Albert vocals. The song continues this dramatic ebb-and-flow to great effect, the transitions proving as fluid and natural as the tasteful musicianship. For all its unabashed idolatry and reverence (the influences would be blatant for anybody who has some background in progressive rock), the instrumentation never feels studied or contrived, and the organic feel of the album truly distinguishes this troupe from other similar minded artists (many of which share the same label).

Another merit that becomes apparent once one begins to peruse the accompanying booklet is the expansive breadth of Orne's vision- one must digest the contents of this record with its visual supplement, as the soporific, halcyon images conjured in the lyrics, as well as the images contained within the booklet (one of which is a brilliant still from Mario Bava's greatest movie, The Whip & The Body), collectively form the whole of the Orne experience. One cannot help but feel as though Lord Dunsany has as much of an overarching influence on this recording as the aforementioned prog giants- “Island Of Joy” has the same meandering, sprawling, bittersweet feeling of drifting on Dunsany's River Yann, or embarking upon a nautical expedition on Lovecraft's phantasmal White Ship, though the surging, stormy denouement (an unresolved climactic torrent of frantic flutes and tumbling percussion) suggests that the journey is perhaps not fated to be pleasant, and the affectionate warmth of the song is savagely undercut- shipwrecked on Ashton Smith's Isle of the Torturers, maybe? Truly spellbinding stuff, this.

“Frontline Dreams”, again, has a distinctly Dunsanian/Lovecraft ‘Dream-cycle' feel, juxtaposing the romance of imagination with the harsh ennui of crude reality, the band dispelling doe-eyed, wistful Pink Floyd atmospherics at the 5:08 mark with a deeply reverent bow to Black Sabbath's “Black Sabbath”, as Albert projects an affectionately Ozzy melody atop fierce gushes of Iommi-esque riffing and white-knuckled drumming. “Opening By Watchtower” pricks a vein bled by vintage Foxtrot Genesis and Peter Hammill, while GORGEOUS album-closer (though maybe a bit incongruous with the vision of the rest of the record) “Lighthouse” reveals a proclivity for English prog's more bucolic propositions- Affinity is the most obvious parallel here (particularly on the hook, TOTAL Affinity, and it is a bit weird to hear Albert's voice on this instead of Linda Hoyle's!), though one could also point out Curved Air, Saturnalia, Mellow Candle and the like.

Now, I know this review doesn't exactly relate to the bulk of the material reviewed on here, but cognizant of the fact that progressive rock and heavy metal have nurtured amicable ties over the years, and the probability that many of you have enlisted yourself to the Reverend Bizarre cause over the years, I thought this record might interest some of you. Rest assured that if you nurture a penchant for brooding fantasy/early weird fiction and an appreciation for the vintage, characteristically mercurial English prog sound, championed by everyone from Procol Harum and the Moody Blues to Arcadium and T2, you will find much to adore here. A most satisfying, indulgent feast for all dark prog gourmands…will we have another hearty platter anytime soon, Peter?

January 3rd, 2007