The Orangeburg Massacre – Moorea

The Orangeburg Massacre – Moorea / 2007 Pluto / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/orangeburgamassacre / http://www.plutorecords.com /

Often time, I have to look and see what the website of a band is by going on Google and plugging in their name. I find interesting things sometimes: apparently, the band is named after an event that turned bloody after being a nonviolent protest at the only bowling alley in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Apparently, three students were killed and twenty-seven others were injured. The band captures some of the chaos and horror of this event for their work on “Moorea”. The band plays a brand of hardcore that has confident guitars and quick arrangements, but the band’s efforts do not shine much during the CD’s opening tracks.

The one good thing that individuals can find at the beginning of this CD is that, even if the band is not impressive individuals with their sound, their tracks end quickly and without complaint. The band continually assaults listeners with different sounds, albeit those sounds that are contained in a very small swath of harder music. “Mortal Yes. Human No” is a perfect example of the style that The Orangeburg Massacre makes common during their “Moorea”. There is a thrash like tempo to the track, but the band makes it current with the inclusion of the technical hardcore that is common nowadays. The production of “Moorea” allows all elements of The Orangeburg Massacre to shine, and while the band does not find the one track to break them big, there are a number of songs that contribute to this disc becoming a very solid listen.

When the band goes into a slightly slower sound, as is present during the aforementioned “Mortal Yes”, the band reaches a spot where they could break it big. The use of sludge and metal in their hardcore sound is what the band needs to rocket up the charts, and including more of this will only help them in the years to come. The band has the cards stacked against them, as so many acts are trying to fight for a limited number of spots at the top of the hardcore heap. The band’s talent and desire to do things that are not done by many bands in the genre will be the reason why they will slide into one of these slots. While “Moorea” is not the strongest offering, it shows that the band has potential coming out of the ears. Check them out soon.

Top Tracks: Altruism, Bryan V Darrow

Rating: 5.6/10