Band – Orphan Donor
Album – Old Patterns
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Screamo/Grindcore
Release Date – March 13, 2020
Label – TornFlesh/Zegema Beach Records
Author – Hayduke X
The first reference that came to mind (almost immediately) while listening to this album was old Converge. That’s not to say that Orphan Donor is a clone – it’s not – but it draws from the same well of angular chaos for Old Patterns. Channeling a combination of grindcore, dissonant hardcore, old school metalcore, and screamo, Orphan Donor manages to call forth the best demons of all of these influences into an army of madness and hopeless aggression.
Really a one-man project (plus vocals), Orphan Donor is the cathartic outlet of Secret Cutter drummer Jared Stimpfl. He writes and records all the music in his own home studio, and according to the promotional materials, does so in a mostly improvisational fashion. I find that utterly mind blowing! The album feels to me (and I mean this as a compliment) like tightly controlled chaos, with emphasis on the chaos. Orphan Donor is the conductor of a mass orchestra of dissonant delirium. It feels as if every note is in the correct spot to keep the listener completely off kilter, yet completely engaged. The drums roll through blasts and stutters, while the guitar weaves riffs directly from the seven layers of hell. Blasts of percussive bass rumble shake the foundations underneath this platform provided for vocalist Chris Pandolofo (Clouds Collide) to vent his spleen through the microphone in wails of bloody confrontation.
Abrasive in a cathartic way, Old Patterns picks and tears off mental scabs to allow for proper healing. Orphan Donor has captured true emotion on this album, something remarkably rare across all types of music, and all the more valuable for that fact.
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. Beginning in 2018, he also began writing for VM Metal Underground. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
