“This is not a catch all music for the masses.” A true statement included in Denver based Dark Orchid’s bio, which, along with their actual band name is fitting when you visualize what their music feels like to the ear.
Tonja Nolan takes the lead on vocals and bass, and in some respects, you can pick up a definite Souixi Souix influence – the dark, slow tide of octave textures. But the similarities are quite fleeting, and most of the time the vibe goes back centuries, to the days of the Renaissance. That fantasy trip continues through castles and crypts, where echoing guitars bounce against the caverns, but with a reminiscent touch to that brings us back to the modern age and the modern rock finesse of The Church.
“Fragile” takes the energy level up a few notches with more aggressive guitar hooks and amplified drum rhythms. But the repetitive lyrics let the air out of the balloon that could have floating high, bursting with positive energy.
Dark Orchid shows us their true potential on “These Days”, where Tonya’s vocals blossom and go full force into the band’s intricate instrumentation. The result is a captivating, and I can only hope that they tap into where they were at that time and expand on that sound for their next release. Although Dark is a part of their identity, and they’ve participated in Denver’s Dark Arts events, they could see their music blossom if the the sweet smell of the Orchid took center stage more of the time.
