O.R.k., comprising some of contemporary music’s most revered artists, have combined their creative forces once again for a new studio album; their first for the ground-breaking UK label Kscope; O.R.k’s Ramagehead will be released on February 22, 2019.
The band feature Italy’s celebrated vocalist, producer and award-winning film score composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF (lead vocals), King Crimson’s Pat Mastelotto (drums), Porcupine Tree’s Colin Edwin (bass), Marta Sui Tubi’s Carmelo Pipitone (guitars); Ramagehead also features a superstar collaboration in the form of Grammy Award-winner Serj Tankian of System of a Down, who is undoubtedly one of metal’s greatest and most renowned vocalists.
Penned following their headline European tour in support of their second album, 2017’s Soul of an Octopus; Ramagehead was forged from the band’s collective vision, unique influences and a multi-layered reflection of their powerful and engaging live experience. The result contains all the ingredients of a fiery O.R.k. performance with dark and heavy riffing, mesmeric atmospheres and lyrics that reveal the band’s bewilderment brought about by our modern world: a world of information overload, of uncertainty and post-truth messages.
Bass player Colin Edwin explains further “Ramagehead is a not a concept album as such, but there is certainly an identifiable theme, in that we attempt to express the everyday bewilderment bought about by the uncertain times we are living in, and the constant confusing information overload that we are all subjected to in today’s post-fact environment. We also wanted to harness the power, unpredictability and spontaneity of the O.R.k. live experience into a static recording whilst aiming for a high-resolution sonic space that can be revisited repeatedly by the avid listener to discover ever deeper layers.”
Recorded during 2018 at LefMusicStudio (Italy), The Wormhole (USA) and Nightspace (UK). The mixing for Ramagehead was handled by Adrian Benavides and three-time Grammy-winning engineer Marc Urselli (U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave), the mastering by Michael Fossenkemper, engineering by Benavides and Bill Munyon (King Crimson), cover art by Adam Jones (TOOL) and design by Denis Rodier (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). The recordings, and involvement of SOAD’s Serj Tankian on the forthcoming single, “Black Blooms”, solidifies the band’s serious intent to use their musical chemistry in exploring the hard-edged possibilities within rock.
Colin Edwin comments “Ramagehead is our most intense, ambitious and accessible work to date and I am really looking forward to exploring the new material in a live environment and sharing our unique collective energy together. For me, O.R.k. is always a completely immersive and unforgettable experience in the live arena, so with new tracks to play and an opportunity to reach places and people we’ve yet to get to, this tour will be our best yet.”
Ramagehead will be released on February 22 on CD / 180g Black vinyl LP / Digital
RAMAGEHEAD tracklisting
Kneel to Nothing
Signals Erased
Beyond Sight
Black Blooms (feat. Serj Tankian)
Time Corroded
Down the Road
Some Other Rainbow Part 1
Strangled Words
Pre Order Now! | Watch The Trailer Here
