Review: ORT ‘Maschinenhafen’

Recently here at The Shaman, a video premiere for ORT‘s Achtern Dub 2 emerged and so intrigued was I that I immediately started investigating both the band and their work. A trio from Dortmund, ORT have in their relatively short lifespan (they only formed in 2019), already built up an impressive number of releases including the Ruin, Grund and Wrack 7 inches, the debut full-length Verbau and now that album’s follow-up Maschinenhafen.

This latest release marks their first on the My Proud Mountain label where they can count Tesa, Bruce Lamont and Amenra amongst their labelmates, not bad company I’m sure you’ll agree. Maschinenhafen features two original tracks while the three extra ones are featured on the ultra-limited lathe-cut bonus 12” EP. I’ll be covering all of these in the review, so let’s crack on shall we?

Two tracks at over twenty minutes each should give you an idea that this will be an incredibly dense piece of work and one which requires a hell of a lot of concentration and dedication from the listener. La Rochelle, the slightly shorter of the two, features some truly monolithic sludge metal with heavy pounding drums of the Dale Crover variety as well as hints of deliciously chaotic noise-rock and post-rock, an intensity with regards to the latter not seen since the early days of Mogwai’s Like Herod. There is a drone like sensibility too recalling of course bands like genre originators Earth. Absolutely mesmerising is the only adequate way to describe it and will carry appeal for both doom and experimental music fans alike.

Achtern (Goor) is a little more spacious and sedate by comparison, the track gives one the impression they are aboard a ship on an unknown voyage. The fact that the name translates to the nautical term of aft or stern (in layman’s language) adds weight to the aforementioned impression. Sonically the track feels a little more like expansive post-metal and with a main riff that at times reminds you of War Pigs. Another extraordinary track to round off what has been a thoroughly captivating and engrossing listening experience.

Absolutely mesmerising is the only adequate way to describe it and will carry appeal for both doom and experimental music fans alike…

Now is the time to pry into the bonus cuts and in case you hadn’t guessed, Achtern Dub 1 and Achtern Dub 2 are remakings or reimaginings (however you wish to term them) of Achtern (Goor), obviously, duh. Dub 1, despite its name, is tinged with more of a mechanical industrial feel, similar tonally in some respects to what Justin Broadrick produced on Love And Hate In Dub, pretty cool.

However, Dub 2 for me goes even further in its sonic explorations, at times rendering the track virtually unrecognizable. Names such as Jah Wobble and Youth can be summoned here, and there are at times nods to jungle music. Exceptional.

Lastly, we have the remix of La Rochelle, here titled, er, LaRemix, the thumping four-to-the-floor interpretation betraying the band’s techno influences ala Underworld. Sometimes dance music can, to me, come across as a little soulless and monotonous, not here, however. The beat is positively infectious giving it a danceable new wave/post-punk appeal while the presence of the guitars helps keep the track anchored, and by extension, your attention maintained throughout. A fun way to conclude the bonus EP.

ORT demonstrate that there is more to sludge and doom than just outright mindless Electric Wizard and Saint Vitus worship. Indeed, including the bonus material, this rendered the whole affair a truly forward thinking visionary work and one which I was given the honour of reviewing.

Label: My Proud Mountain
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Reza Mills