Ortega (band)

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Ortega
General information
origin Groningen , the Netherlands
Genre (s) Post metal
founding 2007
Current occupation
Guitar, vocals
 Richard Postma
Electric bass
 Frank de Boer
Vocals, guitar
 Alex Loots
Drums
 Sven Jurgens

Ortega is a post-metal band founded in 2007 .

history

Ortega was founded in 2007 by Richard Postma, Frank de Boer, Alex Loots and Sven Jurgens in Groningen , the Netherlands . Postma initiated the foundation after the dissolution of a previous hardcore punk band project. Together with de Boer and Loots he rehearsed the first melodies and riffs , whereupon Loots suggested Jurgens as the drummer. Both previously played together in another unknown band project. The name Ortega is borrowed from the character of Captain Ortega in the children's series The Snorkels .

The group soon appeared in this line-up and played regional concerts. After a demo release, the 2010 debut 1634 was recorded in January 2009 . The album was recorded with John Bart van der Wal from Aborted as producer , sound engineer and guest musician in his studio It Badhus in Zwaagwesteinde . It was self-published with an edition of 100 copies in 2010 and re-published as a CD by Aesthetic Death Records and as an MC by Tore Recordings in 2012 . 1634 was received mostly positively by reviewers. Nevertheless, there were isolated critical voices. While the album was praised as a “Doom masterpiece” on Terrorverlag.com, “good approaches” were attested to it on Metal.de, “in its entirety” the album was “still too half-baked.” Ortega kept them for the following recordings Cooperation with van der Wal as producer, sound engineer and guest musician.

The EP A Flame Never Rises on Its Own was released in 2012 and was published as an LP by Badger Records and as an MC via the Tartarus Records label founded by Postma. In the same year another EP appeared with The Serpent Stirs , which was also published by different companies. For the release of MCs, the group kept Tartarus Records as a label. A vinyl version, however, appeared on Narshardaa Records . In 2013 The Serpent Stirs appeared as part of the split MC Serpents & Thrones with Of Spire and Throne which was also released via Tartarus Records. The EPs were once again received positively. A Flame Never Rises on Its Own was judged to be a good release in the genre and an insider tip. The EP The Serpent Stirs was said to be "musical class" in the Ox fanzine . Meanwhile, the group denied the year 2012 with festival appearances at the Incubate Festival in Tilburg and the Cry Me A Badger Festival in Utrecht, as well as concert tours in the Netherlands.

In 2014, the demo EP Crows, which is only available as an MC and download, was released . The EP, which only contains a 19-minute piece, was received positively, but compared to its predecessors it was rated more as a work in preparation for an expected album. The expected album Sacred States was released in 2016 via ConSouling Sounds as CD, via Narshardaa Records as LP and via Tartarus Records as MC. The guests included van der Wal, Gnaw Their Tongues and Ethan Lee McCarthy from Primitive Man . Sacred States was widely received and mostly discussed positively as a further development of the sound known from the group. In negative reviews, the album mastered by James Plotkin from OLD was rated positively in terms of genre, but generally as rather uninteresting. In 2017 Ortega performed at the Unholy Passion Fest in Cologne and the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, among others .

style

Ortega's music is discussed as post-metal in the tradition of Amenra , Neurosis , Isis and Cult of Luna . Neurosis in particular is mentioned several times as a comparable reference. The group is said to have a particularly psychedelic and warm sound. The music of the EP The Serpent Stirs is even discussed in the Ox-Fanzine as a mixture of approaches from groups from Stoner Doom and Post-Metal. "NEUROSIS meet SONS OF OTIS , ISIS meet HORN OF THE RHINO ".

The atmosphere of the music is usually built up over several pieces. “Still calm and cautious at the beginning, from the second song on the currents get darker, more devious and mean.” The riffing is described as doomy, the guttural vocals of growling and roaring meanwhile constantly conjure up a feeling of despair. Ortega varies the dynamics of the music as is typical of the genre. In addition to “harsh harmonies”, there are calm passages “in which a violin sometimes takes over the melodies.” The violin is a “recurring element in the sound”.

Quieter passages are not only dominated by undistorted guitar and violin sounds, but also by means of atmospheric samples , including the sound of the sound of the sea and the rumble of thunder on 1634 . Later releases also show noise passages. The riffing is considered powerful, the vocals energetic, but pressed. The drums, on the other hand, are referred to as “thin and sterile” and characteristically weak .

Discography

  • 2009: Demo (demo, self-published)
  • 2010: 1634 (Album, Aesthetic Death Records / Tore Recordings)
  • 2012: A Flame Never Rises on Its Own (EP, Badger Records / Tartarus Records)
  • 2012: The Serpent Stirs (EP, Narshardaa Records / Tartarus Records)
  • 2013: Serpents and Thrones (MC split EP with Of Spire & Throne , Tartarus Records)
  • 2014: Crows (MC-EP, Tartarus Records)
  • 2016: Sacred States (Album, ConSouling Sounds / Narshardaa Records / Tartarus Records)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Interview: Richard from Ortega / Tartarus Records. breath plastic, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b Ortega: 1634. Power of metal, accessed on May 3, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b Chaim: Ortega: 1634. maelstromzine, accessed on May 3, 2017 .
  4. ^ Fafnir: Ortega: 1634. Terrorverlag.com, accessed on May 3, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e Anton Kostudis: Ortega: 1634. metal.de, accessed on May 3, 2017 .
  6. ↑ BitterCOld: Ortega: A Flame never Rises on its Own. (No longer available online.) Metalstorm, archived from the original on October 21, 2016 ; Retrieved May 3, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / metalstorm.net
  7. ↑ Vitus-Frank: Ortega: A Flame never Rises on its Own. Markzware Metalen, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  8. ^ A b Arndt Aldenhoven: Ortega: The Serpent Stirs. Ox fanzine, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  9. ↑ a b Wouter: Ortega: Crows. Markzware Metalen, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Ortega: Crows. The Obelisk, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Ferrous Beuller: Ortega: Sacred States. Angry Metal Guy, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Timon Krause: Ortega: Sacred States. Powermetal, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  13. ↑ a b c Ortega: Sacred States. The Sludgelord, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Ortega: Sacred States. The Obelisk, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Ortega: Sacred States. Headbanger reviews, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  16. ^ Joxe Schaefer: Ortega: Sacred States. Crossfire Metal, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  17. ↑ Nick Dodds: Ortega: Sacred States. echoes and dust, accessed May 3, 2017 .
  18. ^ A b c Sophia Kostudis: Ortega: Sacred States. metal.de, accessed on May 3, 2017 .
  19. ↑ a b Jens Grob: Ortega: 1634. RockTimes, accessed on May 5, 2017 .