AN NCS PREMIERE: ORB (OCCULT RENEGADE BASTARDS) — “FIRST FROST”

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Sep 172026
 

(written by Islander)

Today we help spread the word about a new Philadelphia-based band — a new band, but formed by people who aren’t newcomers to heavy music. The name of the band is ORB (which stands for Occult Renegade Bastards), and it’s the joint effort of vocalist Lord Gourd (aka Lord Klauf from Morgul Blade) and Jim Viola (also from Morgul Blade, and a member of Wild Beyond) on guitars, bass and keyboards. On their debut album they were joined by session drummer Miles Ziskind.

That album, Supernatural Season, is a fitting celebration of the time of year we’re about to enter here in the northern hemisphere. As the band describe, it’s “A veneration to all that is autumnal, nocturnal, and supernatural” — a journey into “the Land of Forever Autumn”.

Of course, as you can already tell from the album’s cover art and those references to nocturnal and supernatural happenings, the album is especially suited to a particular night that lies ahead of us in October, and its October 23 release date will make it available in time for that parting of the veils that will occur on October 31st.

As for what ORB’s music sounds like, we have an example in our premiere today of its second single, “First Frost“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ØRB — “PRESENCE:ABSENCE”

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Feb 112026
 

(written by Islander)

Last November we premiered a song called “Ghost Key“, the first single from the debut album of Ørb, the melodic death metal project of English/Danish solo artist Karl Koch. Today we’re presenting the second single, “Presence:Absence“. To set the stage for it, we’ll quote again from Ørb’s description of the album’s dystopian sci-fi theme — which focuses on a very real and urgent phenomenon:

The full-length album follows a lone resistance figure in a dystopian future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction under the omnipotent grasp of The Nexus – an advanced AI network that has reduced humanity to obedient cogs in a machine-driven existence. Armed only with unwavering principles and the history of humankind, this stoic survivor embarks on a perilous journey to challenge the AI overlord.

The album’s narrative arc traces a revolt that may be liberation—or only another loop in the machine. Central questions drive the work: Can fate be overcome? What remains of human identity when autonomy is stripped away? Does a belief in determinism empower or limit us? These aren’t abstract philosophical exercises—they’re survival questions in an age where AI increasingly shapes human experience.

The project stands with one boot in tomorrow’s wasteland and one in the world we already feel tightening around us, creating a parable about resistance that resonates beyond the boundaries of extreme metal. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ØRB — “GHOST KEY”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Nov 062025
 

(written by Islander)

Ørb is the melodic death metal project of English/Danish solo artist Karl Koch. Ørb’s debut album is a concept record wrapped around a dystopian sci-fi theme that focuses on a very real and urgent phenomenon, described by Ørb as follows:

The full-length album follows a lone resistance figure in a dystopian future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction under the omnipotent grasp of The Nexus – an advanced AI network that has reduced humanity to obedient cogs in a machine-driven existence. Armed only with unwavering principles and the history of humankind, this stoic survivor embarks on a perilous journey to challenge the AI overlord.

The album’s narrative arc traces a revolt that may be liberation—or only another loop in the machine. Central questions drive the work: Can fate be overcome? What remains of human identity when autonomy is stripped away? Does a belief in determinism empower or limit us? These aren’t abstract philosophical exercises—they’re survival questions in an age where AI increasingly shapes human experience.

The project stands with one boot in tomorrow’s wasteland and one in the world we already feel tightening around us, creating a parable about resistance that resonates beyond the boundaries of extreme metal.

What we have for you today is the premiere of the first single from this forthcoming album, a song named “Ghost Key“. Here is how the song fits into the album’s narrative arc: Continue reading »