Once all the red meat's been eaten, and the classic sludge has been collected, what's next? Experimenting with new artists in this genre can feel like buying high-test gasoline. Sure, you paid a little more for it, but is it really any better? Listening to a bunch of unknowns recycle GRIEF songs can get pretty monotonous.

Well, no worries here. The folks at Inimical have come up with another winner in OROKU. "Living Through the End of Time" features 13 tracks that combine lurching, painful sludge, reckless, speeding hardcore, ambient cello accompaniment, and crunching metal riffage. "Death to the Summer" starts off with an alluring cello intro before shoving your face into a muddy, Sabbathy riff that kicks up to a speeding crescendo. In fact, many songs on the disc follow this basic pattern, but the riffs and changes show enough variation to prevent the onset of boredom. The crunching madness of "Spineless" is simply awesome. So if you're in the market for a 'sludge plus' kind of purchase, OROKU could be just what the doctor ordered.

- Marchman

So when listened to ORUKU's "Living Through the End Time" I first thought, "Oh great. More over-the-top-tormented-suburban-hardcore kid-muzak." Then I didn't listen to it a bunch. I played it again to write this review and while reading the liner notes, I realized that I knew a handful of people that they give 'thanx' to. Then I thought, "Fuck. ORUKU must be pretty real if they hang with NUX VOMICA. I'd probably get beat up if I write a bad review on these dudes."

ORUKU is the shit! It's totally not more of the same old barking hardcore! It's new and original! "Living Through the End Time" is like a breath of fresh air on a dewy spring day!

- Brecht

OFFICIAL SITE: www.myspace.com/oroku

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