B L A C K * O R C H I D

Pick of the Week, Willamette Week
Black Orchid, Topiary Kings, Dewey Mahood and Jude Webre

"From exactly which dimension these groups channel their free-floating spirits is a mystery. The reunited Black Orchid hopes to tap into its old dark dreams of ethereal female wails, echoing guitar whispers and subliminally insistent percussion; having been on hiatus since one singer relocated to (and recently returned from) the East Coast, it'll be curious to hear if these fluttery phantasms can still haunt."

Black Orchid's ethereal Gothic spells -- woven around a wavering center of angelic female incantations and cavernous experimental universes -- envelop one's skull with misty, melancholic cobwebs. Be sure to buy the Portland band's tape of dead-can-trance tunes, Episodic Dreams of Falling. Winter's just around the seasonal bend, and you'll need music to weep along with.
--John Graham, WILLAMETTE WEEK

Black Orchid has attracted attention thanks to an eclectic lineup using diverse instruments. The group includes Cyoakha, the lead vocalist for Land of the Blind, as well as KBOO staffer Mark Brown and Mike Mahaffey, who has performed with the Oregon Symphony. They pull it together with the help of a voice recorder, a didgeridoo, a waterphone and, of course, a little satanic chanting.
--Sue Ostermann, THE OREGONIAN

The pretty and spooky Black Orchid has died, but not before sprouting a seed in the form of this 90-minute cassette culled from their trance-inducing shows and various improv sessions. Exotic instruments, chants from blood-stained angels, ancient rhythms, sensuality, and unreality add up to a meditative and medicated trip. Listen with your hookah.
--B.Jone, ANODYNE

THE ROCKET alleges that Black Orchid "mesh very odd-sounding samples and recordings into their music, and have created an identifiable sound." ANODYNE explains "Orchid are a five-piece improvisational dark trance thing. They feature two female vocalists, guitar, synth, hand drums, didjeridoo, and toy instruments."

...Intro to Orchid

...What the Critics Say

...Buy a Tape!

...Band History & Bios

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