Orca

Continuing the recent string of solid Torontonian efforts, Orca unleash two tracks and an interlude's worth of tense, imposing post-metal for their debut offering. While clearly influenced by a number of the expected acts within the genre, Orca do a fairly good job of keeping the listener interested through songwriting and atmospherics alone. Opener "Collapse" builds up deliberately yet with distinct momentum, eventually exploding into cascades of Oceanic-era Isis-esque, thunderous chugging, with the pained, desperate vocal presence to match. At other points, the proceedings slow down to a distant drone, with sparse nuances enhancing the atmosphere in a subtler, refined way. Closer "Decay" wastes no time bombarding the listener with doom-y goodness and squealing feedback before ultimately, um, decaying into oblivion, closing the EP in effectively bleak fashion. While there is certainly a degree of over-saturation occurring within this style, Orca's darker-than-usual approach and firm handle on how to keep lengthy tracks from overstaying their welcome make them an act to watch.