ORB

From Geelong in Victoria, Australia, the rock trio ORB crafts dark, sonically expansive guitar-driven music that delivers heft without veering into overt metal territory. Their sound draws from late 1960s and early 1970s hard rock traditions, featuring heavily distorted lead guitar lines supported by a straightforward yet forceful rhythm section. Fans of contemporary heavy rock took notice with the release of their debut album Birth in 2016, and the group further developed that approach across later releases including Naturality from 2017 and Tailem Bend in 2024. Zak Olsen on guitar and vocals, Daff Gravolin handling guitar and bass duties, along with drummer Jamie Harmer—all three formerly of the Australian group the Frowning Clouds—established ORB following the dissolution of their previous band. Living in close proximity to one another, the musicians used their newfound free time to hold regular jam sessions. Drawing from their early fondness for hard rock and proto-metal acts like Black Sabbath and Blue Öyster Cult, they composed material that playfully referenced doom rock and psychedelia in addition to hard rock foundations. As their engagement with these heavy jams deepened over time, their commitment grew more earnest and less ironic. The band's initial output arrived in January 2015 as the five-track cassette Womb. Soon after, Australian heavy rock enthusiasts embraced them, leading to a recording contract with Flightless Records, the imprint started by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. November 2015 saw their first vinyl effort, the 7" single featuring "Migration" backed with "Migration 2." Flightless issued Birth across Australia in July 2016, while Castle Face handled distribution in the United States and Canada. Critical acclaim followed in the rock media, paving the way for Naturality as their sophomore album in October 2017. The Space Between emerged as their third full-length the subsequent year, backed by extensive touring across Europe and the United States, where they served as openers for King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. King Gizzard incorporated elements of ORB's sound into the nineteen-minute closing track "A Brief History of Planet Earth" on their 2020 live album Chunky Shrapnel. Live activities halted temporarily amid the 2022 COVID-19 pandemic, during which Zak Olsen focused on Traffik Island and Jamie Harmer on the Murlocs. ORB returned in July 2024 with Tailem Bend, their fourth studio album, titled after a modest settlement in Southern Australia; the record ventured beyond typical stoner rock confines by incorporating pop and funk elements alongside their signature thunderous fuzz explorations.