Orbit Culture - Death Above Life (Deluxe Edition)

The Swedish quartet’s “Death Above Life” is not merely a statement of how far the band has come, but it is the sound of metal in the most modern sense. ”This record represents change, a new beginning,” says Orbit Culture guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Niklas Karlsson. Produced by the band and mixed by Buster Odeholm (Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta, Thrown), “Death Above Life” is a statement for metal: its present and future. It’s also a crucial next step for Orbit Culture as they continue to define themselves and metal, as a whole.

Aside from their DIY ethos and their uncompromising, disturbing dark-on-dark visuals Karlsson credits his love for soundtracks and cinematic soundscapes for fleshing out Orbit Culture’s sound and vision. Composers including Hans Zimmer (Dune, Interstellar) and Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) have become a huge influence on the band. “So much more than any metal being written today,” Niklas states. “Every one of us would rather listen to the ‘Inception’ soundtrack. It’s timeless. When I get stuck writing, those tools and inspiration are there, whether it is cellos or pianos which add texture. We write very easy riffs and structures, so turning to someone like Hans Zimmer leads us to taking the ending of a songs like ‘Inferna’ and making the final chorus bigger and more cinematic.

The “Death Above Life (Deluxe Edition) is further exploring the cinematic idea adding two previously unreleased tracks as well as their Japanese bonus track “Nuclear God” and a very special version of the heartbreaking closing track: “The Path I Walk feat. Tina Guo”.