Music Review: The Order of the Fly – Lambs in the Abattoir (2008)
Review by Tony – Hell Feels Like Home
The Order of the Fly- Lambs in the Abattoir (Mad Science Records, 2008)
Lambs in the Abattoir starts off with the song of the same name, which explores the sickness of realizing that you just have to break away from the herd, that we cannot let the ourselves be part of the flock that gets led to the slaughter. This is a perfect description of Order of the Fly. There is absolutely nothing quite like them. They are often referred as horror punk, and they do have elements of it, but they are so much more then that. Order of the Fly offer a uniquely metal punk hybrid sound with industrial and electronic elements.
Musically, the title tracks starts this EP off with a huge pounding drum and bass line before thundering anthemic guitars come in. If that is not enough to grab your attention, the rhythm guitars break into Judas Priest style twin tracked guitar leads. The vocals are amazing. Ralphie’s voice is super clear and clean sounding and can go from a beautiful midrange tone to a snarl to a scream that can make your heart skip a beat. Behind the vocals is some very subtle but excellent keyboard work that adds creepy atmosphere and melody to the sound.
The rest of the EP follows in much the same fashion as the song I described above but never once gets repetitive (no matter how many times you listen to it in a row). “The Lost” has a heavy stomping sound with super creepy distorted and echoed vocals. The drum and electronic breakdown here really stands out and highlights the genre-bending sound that Order of the Fly has. Both “Eaters of the Dead” and “Vampire Killers” are huge thrashing rockers. “Eaters of the Dead” makes a shiver run right down my spine because the lyrics of the uncontrollable urge “to dine upon the dead” are just so chillingly creepy. Behind the vocals in the verse are twinkling electronic sounds and a cryptic whisper that add to the terror. “Vampire Killers” is a scorching balls out track. It doesn’t have the creepy electronic elements of “Eaters of the Dead” but is instead a snarling pissed off call out to the leeches out there who seem to suck the life and joy right out of us. The closing track here is a great cover of Alice Cooper’s “Who Do You Think We are?” which has a huge sing a long chorus, and enough punk attitude to rattle the hair spray right out of your mohawk.
This EP is amazing through and through. The musicianship is top notch, as is the production. Even though this is a self-released DIY album it sounds as if it was done with a huge professional budget. Each instrument has a distinct voice with room to breathe. The sound quality is crystal clear. The CD comes in a very cool fold out cardboard slip case. The cover is not just cool but the colors and details are strong and vibrant.
As your humble reviewer I have just one favor to ask here. If you live in Southern California or your town is on the list of dates for the upcoming ‘09 Nosferatour please go see Order of the Fly live. They are amazing. Order of the Fly are based out of the town I live in and I wouldn’t trade them for any other band in the world!
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