ORDO CAPER
Haspu
(Nyarlathotep Records)
33:23min

Costa Rica is a small state in Latin America, only a little more than 4 million inhabitants. And despite the country abstains from having an army, it does not dispense taking part in the world wide Death Metal scene. ORDO CAPER are quite a new band, formed back in 2010 and "Haspu" is the first official release. It took two years after it was finally published, the delay was caused by the incapacity of the label initially responsible for this output. Now Nyarlathotep Records are in charge of the album. Never heard anything about this label, but it seems they have some interesting bands on their roster. The Metal scene in Latin / South America can not be compared to other parts of the world, sometimes it just depends on a few persons to keep things rolling, just like in Europe during the 1980s. Accordingly in some parts of the world folks may have more substantially problems (e.g. medical and health care, food supply) than the sound of a snare drum. So I do not want to be that harsh, but "Haspu" is premature, half-baked and underdone. At its best moments the output reminds me of early IMMOLATION respectively RIGOR MORTIS. But during the half an hour there is just too much idle running. Is this supposed to be some kind of Doom / Death Metal? Whatever it may be, lots of time is wasted by striking some riffs without any sense. The listener can not even sense a kind of reasoned songwriting. Putting these moments aside, there is at least enough material for two or three fine Death Metal tunes, but not for seven tracks! In German school there is a grade called "mangelhaft" (poor, inadequate) and the definition perfectly fits for "Haspu": the performance does not meet the requirements, but shows that the necessary basic knowledge exists and the deficiencies in the foreseeable future can be solved. More information at: http://ordocaper.bandcamp.com, www.facebook.com/pages/ordo-caper/274505092586148, http://nyarlathoteprecords.yolasite.com

Mirco Szymyslik

Mirco Szymyslik

ORDO CAPER
Haspu
(Nyarlathotep Records)
33:23min

I was a big fan of this killer Costa Rican band’s first release, "Sonus Satus" released in 2011, so it’s nice to see them continue with "Haspu." The band hasn’t wavered in the time between releases, still evoking a desolate and labyrinthine atmosphere of things from beyond. It starts off strong and doesn’t wane. One track that stands out quickly is ‘The Beyond One’. It’s a relentless sinking into the abyss. The riffs complement the rising and sinking of an object tossed around by forces greater than itself. This EP is relentlessly dark and always seems to be looking for the odd note here and there to inject a sense of weirdness on top of the suffocating bleak landscape. The fourth track, ‘Drift’, illustrates what I mean better than I can. It will surge ahead then abruptly stop, as if cresting a high hill before spiraling one again into a tumbling nexus of black winds. In its final minutes, a bell chimes. I’m a sucker for bells because they’re so damn atmospheric and they always make a killer song even better. The song with the best title is ‘Inside Vapor Evil’. Just like, ‘Drift’, it has those stop, lurch ahead, and go parts that play with your ears and demand your attention. Plus the title alone is a great summation of what this EP is all about: the amorphous yet definable evil of a smoke like vapor. The title track is a discordant ambient track and the EP comes to a close with a cover of ‘Eth Tsrow Sdrow’ by GOATPENIS. I confess I’m not as familiar with GOATPENIS’ material, but this seems to me to be a good cover. I can hear everything clearly and it sounds like the band is playing a song rather than blazing over parts of songs in an attempt to make it sound passable. To sum it up, this is another great offering from a band that I’m glad to see is sticking around. Do yourselves a favor and check this one out! More info at: www.facebook.com/pages/ordo-caper/274505092586148, http://ordocaper.bandcamp.com

Nathan Shapiro

Nathan Shapiro

Related reviews / interviews:
ORDO CAPER - Sonus Satus (Nathan Shapiro)

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