Concert Review – The Orb

Featuring Crimson Void, The Xebellian Triangle, Hath, Wormhole, Gorod

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to see an incredible show in Houston, The Orb tour – featuring Hath, Wormhole and Gorod. Even better, I won two tickets from Season of Mist and Wormhole in their Instagram giveaway, as well as a Vinyl copy of the new Wormhole album “Almost Human”. I took my pal RedVikingDave (who did our profile artwork on all our social media sites) along with me and we had a great night headbanging to these awesome bands.

Normally I tend to show up to concerts an hour and a half late because my experience with opening bands has been mediocre at best, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how good both of the openers were for this show. First up was a Houston Band called Crimson Void. They label themselves as progressive doom, but I heard a lot of black and death elements in their music as well. I did miss their first two songs, but what I heard was awesome, and I thought it was pretty incredible that their drummer was the vocalist on at least one of their songs.

They have two albums and a new single, all of which I enjoyed while listening earlier today. Check them out here:

Next up was another Houston-based band that I had not heard before this evening, and one that I was completely unprepared for. The band is called The Xebellian Triangle and they’re a Symphonic Melodic Death Metal Band that will blow your face off if you see them live. They have two kickass vocalists, neither of which sang in the style I was expecting. Aïcha Finnleikr is the frontwoman and she has such a perfect growly, harsh, death metal voice, that I think the band would be amazing, even if she was the only singer. That being said, it’s the blackened harsh vocals and screeches of lead guitarist, and backup vocalist Ivy Jayne Lance that really push the band to the next level. These two singing in tandem, with the intense melodies and drums behind them really just blew me away. I feel comfortable saying that The Xebellian Triangle is the best local opener I’ve ever heard. They currently have one full album and a new single. Check out both below:

Next was the band I was most excited to see at this show – Hath. I’ve been a tremendous fan of their sound ever since I first heard “Of Rot and Ruin” in 2019. In fact, that album was my number three on my end of year list that year, and “All That was Promised” was my number two in 2022. I finally got the opportunity to see them live, and they did not disappoint. They played six of my favorite tracks from across both albums, and did so with a chaotic, fun, intensity that had everyone in the room headbanging and smiling. Hath was not only pure fun to watch, it was obvious to both myself and Dave, that they were having a great time playing their music too. Aside from all of that, they were all incredibly nice guys who were happy to hang out at their merch table and talk with fans. I even got them to sign my copy of “All that was Promised”. They mentioned that this was their first time playing in Houston, but I hope it won’t be their last. It’s been one day, and I’m already looking forward to the next time I can see them perform again.

Next up was Wormhole. These guys were INTENSE live, and had a constant pit running in the middle of the floor. They played songs from across their catalogue, including a couple from “Almost Human”. Every member of the band had their own style and flair, and they were very interesting to watch. My particular favorite was their bassist, Basil Chiasson, who would always grimace right before a part of the song got particularly nasty, and then he would groove as hard as possible with that scowl on his face until the sound flowed onto the next part. He did it every time and for me, it was a really fun telegraph of when the song (and room) were about to get nuts. If you get the chance to see Wormhole live, do it.

The last band of the night was the French Tech-death band, Gorod. Prior to this show, I’d only ever heard their latest album “The Orb”, which I enjoyed, but it didn’t make the cut for my end of year best-of list. However, after seeing Gorod live, I feel like I didn’t give that album enough of a chance. These guys were absolutely amazing live. Every single member of the band was incredible, and they played such a varied selection of songs, that each member got the opportunity to highlight just how awesome they are at their particular function within the band. Honestly, Gorod probably put on the most technically perfect performance I’ve ever seen at a concert. They were truly incredible, and they turned me into a fan. I’ve had their old albums playing on Spotify all day.

Overall, this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended. I had never been to the venue – White Oak Music Hall – before, but it’s such a small, personal sized venue, where I always had a great view and could here perfectly no matter where I stood in the room. Thanks again to Season of Mist for making this happen. Thanks to the bands for putting on such stellar performances. Thanks specifically to Hath for being such nice guys and signing my vinyl, and thanks to Dave for coming along and keeping me company.

Lastly, if you’d like to see some recordings from the show, head over to our Instagram!