Sorcia's Fuzzy Riffs Cut Deep on "An Axe Named Otis" (Video Premiere)
Sorcia's latest album Lost Season is not a pensive or subtle affair–it is, for the most part, sonic obliteration. The Seattle trio trade out dynamics in favor of crashing drums and jagged riffs that leave blistering smoke trails in their wake, delivering a harsh-edged doom record that cuts straight through flesh and bone. It's also a welcome throwback to unpretentious early 2000s doom metal, with vocals battling the noisy fracas of perfectly-balanced drums, bass, and guitar.
There's a surprising amount of nostalgia attached to this sound for me, actually, and the high-frequency-attuned guitar tones and unapologetically maximalist sound perfectly line up with my reminiscing. We're premiering the video for "An Axe Named Otis" below, which furthers the comparison visually: amidst dark and manic clips of axe mayhem, you can watch SG-wielding axeman/vocalist Neal De Atley turn out dire riffs and drummer Bryson Marcey lean into snare-crash interplay to chisel out the structure, with bassist/vocalist Jessica Brasch adding a sinister underbelly to the proceedings. It's not all retro (yes, early 2000s is now retro) worship, though, as the band laces their sound with refreshing aggression and lyrical content that isn't just ripping off pre-1990 horror flicks.
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Regarding "An Axe Named Otis," the band comments:
'An Axe Named Otis' was written about the movie Frailty, in which an axe revealed by God to be used as a weapon to destroy "demons" mysteriously has the name 'OTIS' carved into the wooden handle. The video is dark and intense, but such is the story it's inspired by. Using footage captured of us at our rehearsal space, we once again called upon the creative forces of Dark Sprite Videos to channel inspiration from the lyrics and film to interpret our music into a visual manifestation. We find it fitting to release this video during spooky season as it feels like it's our own little horror film. Special thanks to Jesse Brasch for the band footage and to Dark Sprite for always creating killer visual content.
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Lost Season released July 21st, 2023 via Desert Records and is now available on vinyl.
