New Band: Orange Sky

Now normally I go searching for new music, but sometimes new music is thrust upon me. That's how it was for Orange Sky. Recently the Reggae-Rockers came to Orlando for a show at a local bar, and to help promote they contacted Heavy Metal Knights, a heavy metal enthusiasts club at the University of Central Florida (my Alma Mater). So we got a stage in the middle of the school, set up sound equipment and passed out fliers. The plan was for Orange Sky to play a short-5 song gig in the middle of the student square. This could not be, as someone in the crew forgot some wiring for their guitar, so instead we just blared their album over the P.A. system for five hours, while promoting their show and a CD signing that they were having in the CD store on Campus.
So we hung out all day, and then went to the signing, where i picked up their album (plus two more) and got it signed. The band was pretty chill. A bunch of big guys, with islander accents, who seemed ADD, they kept running back and forth between signing albums and perusing the shop's wares. These guys were hilarious. I got to chit-chat with them, got a signed CD, a pic and talked a little bit to the camera guy following them around. It was pretty bad-ass.

But anyway, on to their album. They recently released their second album, Dis Iz Voodoo, and are starting their U.S. tour this week. First off, getting away from the only islander metal-esq band to come out in a while, (Skindrid), Orange Sky plays a mix of reggae, rock and metal. About half of the songs are quick, thrash-style songs, with shouted lyrics about drugs, war and peace. These are the better songs. The other half is slower, and you can definitely feel their Caribbean influence. While these songs aren't horrible, the singer's voice doesn't carry well. Alot of the slow songs have him holding out a note or phrase, and it just gets annoying. But it is a nice mix. If you don't necessarily like fast-paced metal, the slower bits might be for you, but not me.

All in all, it is a decent album, and meeting the guys deffinately makes me like it more. If you want to try something new, something close to Sublime, but heavyier. Check out Orange Sky.