Orest – “Iza Ogledala” – by Alek

Orest – “Iza Ogledala” – by Alek

I don’t know if Belgrade if fruitful for this kind of bands but the first moments of the album sent me back to the legendary album “Dalje neces moci...” from SMF. I simply love that vibe and it’s a great, great deal. (Note: I am mentioning that as a compliment!) You never know when Orest are serious or joking, but anyway, the jokes are serious, believe me. It’s a great way to describe the society we live in. Orest are comfortable in the region of thrash/groove metal, thats for sure. The sound is freaking great. You know when you try to connect the whole concept of the band’s album with their sound? Yeah, that’s a dream of many, many bands. Although this is their debut album, Orest stands firmly on the ground. I would like to point to their guitar players... Man, solos are on their fucking place!!! I think it should also be underlined to mention that the lyrics are on serbian language and that is a step that not many bands decide to do (not speaking just for the serbian bands, but in general). I guess the nature and the approach of the lyrics dictates it, but hey, we are not searching for excuses. Great and brave step guys!

Let’s start, the album starts with “Alkohol”, song which brings a story that most of us (if not everybody) went through. Getting drunk... Then... Somehow I think that “Organe mi daj” will be the highlight of this album for me. Let’s gamble and go on. This song has all the great ingredients of a very, very good thrashing song and starts with a solo! Ok, let’s move on and scratch the surface of the other songs. I am not a great fan of clean vocals, especially when they come in some metalcore way. The song “Moj zivot je mala greska” is fulfilled with that, but what hit me is the greatest guitar solo on the album that is, hmmm, exactly on this song. “Heroin” is the song that I am sure will bang your head off. This is the sharp thrashing spirit of the album and it just drives and drives. The title song of the album “Iza Ogledala/Ogledalo” come with a great naration, especially: “You are not lost, you know exactly where you are... Behind the mirror...!” Another great song, another great solos... The lyrics? Well, you should guess that the song does not carry the title of the album for nothing. Please, read the lyrics. “Vernik” and “Kap sa neba” represent, for my ear, the most alternative/progressive aspect of the band and if I am right there are even some stoner parts there.

I noticed another thing of the album, but on the lyrical side of it. I feel that this album has four parts that make a story. The first part are the songs “Alkohol”, “Organe mi daj” and “Srce”, the second “Moj zivot je mala greska”, “Strah” and “Heroin”, the third “Iza ogledala” i “Ogledalo” and the fourth “Vernik” and “Kap sa neba”. All these songs in these parts are kind of connected, both in lyrical and musical way.

All in all this is a band that we should wacth carefully and closley. They made a hell of an impression in me and I will surely wait for the next album. I don’t know if they have recorded a video, but if not I hope they’ll do it soon. This is a release that should fulfill many many personal collections!

9/10