Style: Alternative rock, progressive rock (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Fair to Midland
Country: International
Release date: 21 March 2025
Two firehoses stand before two doors. One firehose only tells the truth, and the other only tells lies. Unsure of what to ask of the sentient extinguishers to move forward, you try to hear what’s going on behind each door, only to notice that the way to the right… seems to be playing Chris Cornell? Curious, you opt to go through the right door. You step through the darkened postern and—bam! Falling down a trapdoor, you find at the bottom that it’s not Soundgarden who is playing, but none other than international alt-rockers O.R.k. showcasing tunes from their latest LP, Firehose of Falsehoods. Fooled yet again by the hoses! Wring out your clothes and let’s discuss.
O.R.k. most readily express their brand of alternative rock through dynamics, utilizing heavy and funky riffage in their choruses while opting for subdued and spacious verses. Much of Firehose of Falsehoods‘ sound is deeply entrenched in 90s alt rock songwriting and melodic sensibilities, laying down grooves that wouldn’t be out of place on Soundgarden’s Superunknown or Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music… Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop. In many places, vocalist Lorenzo Fornasari even sounds like Chris Cornell in his gravelly and forceful delivery. More progressive tracks like “Dive In” and “Mask Becomes the Face” eschew a verse/chorus approach for free-flowing song structures that prefer to slowly build in intensity instead of switching the ‘high-energy’ hose valve on and off. “16000 Days” even features a quietly picked guitar that swirls around notes not dissimilar to contemporary math rock.
From its first moments, the most immediate standout on Firehose of Falsehoods is Lorenzo Fornasari’s vocals. On opener “Blast of Silence”, his voice ranges from restrained and quiet in the verses to powerful and gritty during the chorus. “Mask Becomes the Face” also features many compelling vocal lines, with defeated callouts of ‘I might have been invisible the whole time’, complete with soulful vocal riffing that soars into the stratosphere by its end. Many of Firehose of Falsehoods’ best moments are led by Fornasari’s commanding vocal performance, punctuating tracks with his emphatic delivery. However, when Fornasari steps out of his Cornellisms, the results are more mixed. “Hello Mother” features powerful and roaring vocals as he screams ‘I AM NOT COMING HOME!’ during the track’s most intense moment, but the enunciation and timbre during the verses are strange and feel kind of mushy, coming across as uncaring and slurred. “16000 Days” suffers from this same problem, with poorly enunciated vocals sitting on top of less than compelling instrumentation, dashing the momentum that could have been built going into its otherwise cinematic chorus. While Fornasari’s delivery is likely an intentional lean into the ironic detachment that painted much of the 90s’ rock sensibilities, the end result generally falls flat on Firehose of Falsehoods.
The instrumentals are wont to fall into the same pattern as the vocals: while most every track has a few enjoyable moments, a collection of enjoyable ideas does not a good song make. Firehose of Falsehoods suffers overall from a lack of punch: despite the generous dynamics in songwriting, the more bullish moments fail to really soar, and the more understated moments often lack interest, in most cases leaving me waiting for the chorus before I tune back in. Even in the presence of fun grooves on “Blast of Silence” and “The Other Side” and the cinematic splashes of “PUTFP” and “16000 Days”, a certain X-factor is missing that prevents O.R.k. from sticking the dismount—unable to break through ‘enjoyability’ into something truly compelling. Ironically enough, the longest track, “Dive in”, does the best job of supporting its song structure by introducing a slow build into driving drum work, Tool-esque melodies, and lively staccato guitars. With some extra dynamic range in the mastering, its climaxes would hit considerably harder, but the track itself shows promise in its songwriting approach.
While I undoubtedly appreciate the Soundgarden-flavored inspiration on Firehose of Falsehoods, the record as a whole leaves me wanting throughout: the vocals are sometimes excellent, the instrumentation is sometimes fun and groovy, but few songs are able to hold themselves together and maintain interest for their entire runtime. Additionally, though the use of dynamics is appreciated, more work is needed to establish cohesion between Firehose of Falsehoods’ louder and quieter moments. The firehose was, indeed, filled with falsehoods instead of water, and now the burning house is doomed.
Recommended tracks: Blast of Silence, Dive In, Hello Mother
You may also like: Fen, Orion, Mile Marker Zero, Advent Horizon
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: KScope Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
O.R.k. is:
– Lorenzo Fornasari (vocals, keyboards)
– Carmelo Pipitone (guitars)
– Colin Edwin (bass)
– Pat Mastelotto (drums)
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