Ortega 2
Niels Verwijk

Ortega - "Void" (Track Premiere)

Niels Verwijk
Niels Verwijk

The “post-metal” bubble burst long ago and only the strong survived. Ortega’s harsher, more minimal take on the sluggish style is hypnotic, immersive and abrasive. Gone are the “headier” elements – the big post-rock crescendo, the forced dynamic shifts – which ultimately made the style so homogenized and forgettable. No, Ortega revels in the sheer immensity of their sound on their impending sophomore effort Sacred States; a towering monolith of deep, engulfing rumble. Pairing with fellow countryman and nightmare monger Mories of Gnaw Their Tongues, “Void” closes this monstrous album with a deafening roar, suffocating the listener with waves of clattering noise and booming drone.

Though Sacred States won’t see the light of day until October 5th, vinyl preorders are available through Narshardaa Records, tape through Tartarus Records, and CD via ConSouling Sounds. Scroll below for an exclusive first listen of “Void.”

From the band:

“It has been quiet for a long time.

We are thrilled we can finally announce the release of our second full length Sacred States.

Since 2007, Ortega have been exploring the murky depths of humanity’s longing for the horizon. Perilous courses which drag carcasses ashore, sojourns that tell of the bells that chime on the sands below, collisions of doom, sludge and noise that tell tales of abyssal mankind.

Now, Sacred States is the first glance upwards. But whereas the depths below are finite, the chasms above ridicule every human attempt to realise itself. Whether he looks above or inside, the void remains. The tentative grasps into the great unknown will never hold anything but pain, and Ortega recount every step into the understanding of this fate that we turn away from more often than not. The hollow is here:

Recorded by John Bart van der Wal and mastered by James Plotkin.

Featuring contributions by Gnaw Their Tongues and Ethan Lee McCarthy of Primitive Man fame.

Sacred States is a collaborative effort between Consouling Sounds (CD), Narshardaa Records (Vinyl) and Tartarus Records (Cassette).

Vinyl pressing info:
100 multicolored splatter vinyl
100 clear vinyl
300 black vinyl”

Follow Ortega on Facebook and Bandcamp.

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