Artist: Orgy
Album: Punk Statik Paranoia
Label: D1 Music
Reviewer: John Frank

What happens to a band who has a hit single, a gold record, and a cult following? Well, if that band is Orgy, then they take a huge sabbatical and lose a couple members after a sophomore album that was good, but didn’t sell like their debut. Punk Statik Paranoia is the result of the remaining members wanting to put out an album that shows they truly should be in this industry and their fans will not lose any respect for the band.

When I heard the single on the radio, I became very excited to listen to the whole album. “The Obvious” contains nothing special, and will not produce the fans that “Blue Monday” did, but it was definitely very Orgy sounding. There has been more production placed into the songs since Jay, Amir, and Ryan have fewer members to work with, but it is hardly noticeable, as the production that went into it was very well done. Before you listen to the entire album however, I must tell you that if you have not been a fan of previous Orgy releases, it will be tough to get into this one.

Each song is different in its own right, but the typical electronica beats and warped guitars are present on each track, and the vocals of Jay Gordon do not vary a whole lot. That said, the album should be looked at almost as just one work instead of nine individual pieces. Once I put the disc in, I had problems taking it out before the last song was finished. The first track, “Beautiful Disaster”, is a great opener as it sets a great pace and has a hard hitting sound. While there is not a lot of tone variation among the songs, Gordon does change up the vocals somewhat, in that he mixes the scratchy sound of his rhythms with harmonic choruses like “Leave Me Out.”

Unfortunately this CD is not all great. With only nine songs, it goes by very quickly and you feel a little cheated when you want to hear more, but it is just over. I waited almost three years for a new Orgy disc, and while it is obvious a great deal of effort went into this, I would have loved about three more songs. There are not a whole lot of standout songs that have been present on previous releases, and the album tends to be much stronger towards the beginning and fades out at the end. I see about three types of people really enjoying this album—hardcore Orgy fans, those who just want something new and can handle the interesting riffs and sounds that are delivered, and perhaps those into more of a techno sound, but enjoy having a rock element thrown in there too.

Just casual fans who may have liked the singles they have heard probably will not get into the album as a whole; but I always say you should check out an album if you like a single by the band. This is a good record, but releases a little late to ride on the fans of other releases, and it is a little short to sustain the fans who have been missing the sounds.

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---