Band:	Orthodox
Album:	Proceed
Style:	Doom metal
Release date:	June 2022

01. Orthodox - Past Seers
02. Abendrot
03. Rabid God
04. Starve
05. The Son, The Sword, The Bread
06. The Long Defeat

Dull to the point that I forgot I was going to write a review for it... Anyway, let’s proceed...

I think that intro says already quite a bit about what I think of this album. Doom metal is something that I usually really enjoy listening to. However, throughout the years, that of course meant that I became more and more familiar with the subgenre, and I’m fully aware that my underwhelming feeling with this record is partially due to the fact that it’s getting harder and harder for an album to really surprise me or to sound fresh and unique. Honestly, Proceed is quite a pure doom metal album; there are some stoner elements in it as well, but to me, they feel like a little bit of an extra that doesn’t add all that much.

Now, I know I’m sounding quite negative about this album. So, let’s talk about something that I like: the production. It’s got an overall nice sound to it, with droning guitars that get enough breathing room to create the atmosphere you would expect/want from a doom record, bass that bolsters the sound, and drums that are deep and powerful in sound. Unfortunately, I will also add a negative here; the vocals often sound very distant in the mix. It’s almost like the vocalist was shut outside when they recorded his vocals, and you hear him desperately try to sing loud enough through the side window of the recording studio. I know a lot of bands use this effect to create more atmosphere, usually to create a feeling of emptiness or as a haunting effect. However, it’s throughout the whole album and that started to rub me the wrong way, to be honest.

The musicianship itself is overall excellent. These guys clearly have talent and know how to create atmosphere in their songs. For me, though, it lacks variety, and I wished they would experiment a bit more. Proceed often feels like it’s a by-the-numbers kind of record. Like, you get a big box full of all the different Lego blocks, and you decide to only make a wall out of those blocks. Now, that wall could be a great foundation for creating amazing structures, but then you need to build further upon it. This record feels very much the same. The absolutely solid foundation is there, but there’s so much more that can be added to really make something unique.

As it stands, I can’t say that I had an unpleasant time with Orthodox's latest, but I don’t remember all that much, either. I had to take notes during my 3rd listen (something which I rarely do for reviews) to have something to fall back upon. So, can I say it’s bad? No. Can I say I will listen to it again, anytime soon? Unfortunately, it’s a no for that question as well. Hopefully with future releases, they will find that "own voice", because I think there's potential here.